Bureaucracy

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to respond to the Cabinet Office's red-tape review.

Grant Shapps: The Department for Communities and Local Government is leading on the ‘Housing and Construction' theme of Cabinet Office's Red Tape Challenge, as well as contributing to other themes across Government. The ‘Housing and Construction' theme went live on the Red Tape Challenge website on 12 January 2012 and the results of this theme will be announced following its completion through the Red Tape Challenge process.

Bureaucracy

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which housing regulations currently being consulted on by the Cabinet Office in its red tape review his Department has recommended be scrapped.

Grant Shapps: The Department for Communities and Local Government is currently in the process of reviewing housing regulations as part of the ‘Housing and Construction’ Red Tape Challenge theme. Our proposals are yet to be finalised but will be announced in due course.
	This review should be taken in context of the policies and measures announced in November's housing strategy. That strategy outlines how the Government are committed to better environmental standards; more affordable housing; security of tenure; legal protection for tenants and leaseholders; and support for the elderly, vulnerable households and those on low incomes.
	We have already taken a series of steps to cut unnecessary red tape, including abolishing home information packs, reducing burdens on short-term holiday lets, removing blanket regulation on houses of multiple occupation that would have reduced choice for tenants, and introduced new freedoms and flexibilities for social landlords via the Localism Act. This review will help inform the scope for further reductions of such unnecessary and disproportionate red tape.

Council Housing: Waiting Lists

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local authorities prioritise housing applications from homeless people who reside in sheltered housing or residential homes.

Grant Shapps: Local authorities deal with homelessness applications on a case by case basis. If a household is homeless through no fault of their own, eligible (certain categories of persons from abroad are ineligible) and in priority need then the local authority has a duty to ensure that suitable accommodation is available for them. The priority need categories include someone who is vulnerable because of old age, or physical or mental disability.
	Certain people must be given ‘reasonable preference' (i.e. priority) if they apply for social housing. This includes people who are homeless or owed certain duties under the homelessness legislation.

Empty Property

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to promote the refurbishment of empty and vacant homes.

Andrew Stunell: We have set aside £160 million to bring empty homes back into use. On 5 March, I announced almost £70 million of that funding for 95 projects will bring over 5,600 properties back into use across the country, far exceeding original expectations of 3,300 homes. On 29 May, I announced that voluntary and community groups will receive over £25 million to bring properties back into use as affordable housing, ensuring another 1,500 properties that have been identified are lived in once again. 20 local authorities will also each receive a share of £60 million to tackle clusters of empty homes. Using match funding, this will ensure another 5,600 homes are brought back into use.
	Under the New Homes Bonus, local authorities earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. Over the first two years of New Homes Bonus, local authorities will have benefited from £63.2 million as a result of the 21,000 decrease in long-term empty homes.
	I have appointed George Clarke as an independent adviser on empty homes. It is also worth pointing out that the Local Government Finance Bill contains provisions for a discretionary empty homes premium on council tax to be introduced next year.

First Time Buyers

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many house builders are participating in the Government’s Firstbuy scheme.

Grant Shapps: The Firstbuy equity loan scheme will help an estimated 10,500 aspiring home owners in England by March 2013. Firstbuy allocations to house builders were announced in June 2011 and 108 house builders have subsequently signed contracts with the Homes and Communities Agency to deliver Firstbuy.

First Time Buyers

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on promotional material for the Government’s Firstbuy Guarantee scheme.

Grant Shapps: The Department has not incurred any expenditure on promotional material for the Firstbuy scheme.

Food: Waste Disposal

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss the role local authorities might play in reducing household food waste.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), works closely with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, his right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), to ensure that we are reducing household waste and provide a comprehensive rubbish and recycling collections service to local taxpayers. To achieve this goal, officials in both departments have worked together in shaping the criteria of the Weekly Collection Support Scheme which will support local authorities to provide a weekly collection of waste alongside delivering environmental benefit and ensuring cost effectiveness.

Google

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its agencies spent on advertising via Google Adwords since May 2010; and for what keywords.

Bob Neill: The Department and its agencies spent nothing on advertising via Google Adwords from May 2010 to April 2012. In order to ensure eligible tenants could easily find accurate online information about the changes to the reinvigorated Right to Buy scheme, approved by Parliament and effective from 1 April, the Department has spent £6,122 in total during April and May 2012 in directing traffic to the Right to Buy pages on the DirectGov website. The keywords most used are: right to buy, first time buyer(s), right to buy housing association, first time home buyer, right to buy scheme, council right to buy, buying your council home, buy my council house, right to buy council. Payment is by results—so only key words used by browsers to click through to the site are charged for, on a per click basis.
	To place this spending in context, from April 2009 to March 2010, the last administration spent a total of £212,825 on Google Adwords, against 868 different keywords.

Green Belt

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 30 April 2012, Official Report, columns 1111-2W, on planning permission: green belt, what the very special circumstances are in which development may be permitted on green belt land under the National Planning Policy Framework; and how this varies from the previous planning rules in relation to green belt development.

Greg Clark: The National Planning Policy Framework maintains robust protections for green belt land.
	Paragraphs 87-88 of the framework are clear that “inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances” and that “‘very special circumstances' will not exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations.” This replicates the policy set out in the previous Planning Policy Guidance 2: Green Belts. Paragraphs 89-91 set out in more detail the forms of development that should be regarded as inappropriate and the limited exceptions to this.
	As with all national planning policies, these policies will be applied by decision-takers taking account of all the circumstances of a specific case.

Homes and Communities Agency: Housing

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many affordable homes were constructed by the Homes and Communities Agency in the last six months for which figures are available; and what the percentage rise or fall was compared with the previous six months;
	(2)  how many homes for social rent were constructed by the Homes and Communities Agency in the last six months for which figures are available; and what the percentage rise or fall was compared with the previous six months.

Grant Shapps: The Homes and Communities Agency publish statistics on housing delivered through their programmes for social rent and affordable housing. Data for the first six months of 2011-12 were published in November 2011, but excludes affordable housing supply provided outside their programmes, available at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/sites/default/files/aboutus/official-statistics-release-221111.pdf
	The Homes and Communities Agency have reported that they have exceeded their Corporate plan targets for affordable housing this year. They will be publishing their official statistics for 2011-12 on 12 June 2012.
	The Homes and Communities Agency housing delivery programme has a cyclical financial profile, in that the rate of housing delivery under the former National Affordable Housing Programme has typically tended to gather pace in the second half of the financial year.
	The response from the sector to the Affordable Homes Programme reflects the Homes and Communities Agency’s partners’ appetite and capacity to develop, and is a solid position from which to deliver our aspiration for up to 170,000 new affordable homes by April 2015.
	This is a period of transition to the new programme and the Homes and Communities Agency have now signed contracts with 122 providers for around £1.7 billion on the Affordable Homes Programme against a budget of £1.8 billion.
	We have also asked the Homes and Communities Agency to explore options for accelerating delivery of their programme.

Housing: Construction

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of the coming-into-force of the National Planning Policy Framework on the Housing Market Renewal initiative.

Grant Shapps: No specific assessment has been made of the effect of the National Planning Policy Framework coming-into-force on the housing market renewal initiative as the initiative ended in March 2011. The National Planning Policy Framework, which was published on the 27 March 2012, asks local planning authorities to identify and bring back into residential use empty homes and buildings in line with local housing and empty homes strategies.
	The last Administration's Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder scheme promoted wholesale demolition of homes. By contrast, this Government is actively promoting getting empty homes back into productive use.

Housing: Construction

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proportion of all new (a) dwellings, (b) affordable homes and (c) homes for social rent in England were (i) flats and (ii) houses in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what proportion of new (a) affordable and (b) privately built homes had (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three and (iv) four or more bedrooms in each local authority area in each year since 1997; and what proportion of new (A) affordable and (B) privately-built homes were (1) flats and (2) houses in each local authority area in each year since 1997.

Andrew Stunell: Tables have been placed in the Library of the House which show the percentage of social rented and affordable homes delivered through the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Housing Programme by the number of bedrooms and by houses or flats for England and each local authority area. These figures are available only from the Homes and Communities Agency's Investment Management System, so will not cover the total number of affordable homes provided.
	Information on the proportion of new privately built homes by bedroom size and dwelling type for England and each region are published in Live Table 254 on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/
	Corresponding data for each local authority area is not available.

Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent employees his Department employed in May 2010; and how many it employed at the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: As at 31 May 2010, the Department for Communities and Local Government employed 2,108 staff (2,046 full-time equivalent). In addition, the Government offices for the regions employed 1,726 staff (1,646 full-time equivalent), of which 554 staff (527 full-time equivalent) were employed by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Department's total staffing complement was thus 2,662 staff (2,573 full-time equivalent).
	As of 1 May 2012, the Department's staffing had reduced to 1,751 staff (1,702 full-time equivalent). The Government offices for the regions have closed.
	This May 2012 figure includes some transferred staff now undertaking residual activities of the Government offices for the regions and the regional development agencies, and from staff transferred in from other bodies through machinery of government changes. The actual number of staff departures is thus greater than reflected in the figures.
	As part of the spending review settlement, the DCLG Group is making a collective 33% real terms saving against its running costs by 2014-15. This equates to savings of over £200 million by 2014-15. In addition, the Department will save a further £190 million from the closure of the Government offices for the regions, taking overall savings on administrative running costs to 42% across the DCLG Group by 2014-15. These savings reflect the coalition Government's agenda of decentralisation, ending the micromanagement of local government, the abolition of regional government, and the broader need to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.

Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent employees have (a) left and (b) been recruited to his Department in the last two years.

Bob Neill: The information is as follows:
	Departures
	From 1 May 2010 to 1 May 2012, 977 staff (934 full-time equivalent staff) left the Department for Communities and Local Government. Additionally, 381 full-time equivalent staff employed by the Department working in the Government offices for the regions left the Department, due to the closure of the Government offices.
	Recruitment
	86 full-time equivalent staff have been recruited by the Department in the period 1 May 2010 to 1 May 2012. Half of these were recruited before the recruitment freeze began. 25 full-time equivalent of those recruited were civil service fast stream staff, who are exempt from the recruitment freeze, and another 13 were appointed on specialist fixed term contracts, of which, only three are still working in the Department.
	Transfers
	Some staff were transferred into the Department from the Government office for the regions and regional development agencies (to undertake residual functions—such as ERDF administration) and from other bodies through machinery of government changes. As of 1 May 2012, 379 full-time equivalent transfers were still active and counted on the Department’s official headcount.
	Broader savings
	As part of the spending review settlement, the DCLG group is making a collective 33% real terms saving against its running costs by 2014-15. This equates to savings of over £200 million by 2014-15. In addition, the Department will save a further £190 million from the closure of the Government offices for the regions, taking overall savings on administrative running costs to 42% across the DCLG group by 2014-15. These savings reflect the coalition Government’s agenda of decentralisation, ending the micro-management of local government, the abolition of regional government and the broader need to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what key performance indicators his Department plans to use to judge the success of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: The Department’s updated Business plan for 2012-15 will be published shortly. This will include the indicators to be used to monitor progress in priority areas.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable his Department has set to review the (a) National Planning Policy Framework and (b) the Localism Act.

Greg Clark: Having shaped the development of the new National Planning Policy Framework, I am determined that Parliament should supervise its implementation, through future debates on planning policy. My Department is keeping implementation of the framework under review and will undertake a post-implementation review after the first year.
	There are no plans for a specific review of the Localism Act, which is in the process of being implemented, but we will comply with the requirements set out in the Sunsetting Regulations Guidance published in December 2011.

Planning Permission

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on holding referenda on Neighbourhood Plans at the same time as political elections.

Bob Neill: The Government believe it is right that local authorities have the opportunity of holding neighbourhood planning referendums at the same time as other elections and referendums happening in the local area to reduce the burden on voters and better manage costs.

Redundancy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of his Department's employees have been made redundant in the last two years.

Bob Neill: 977 staff left the Department for Communities and Local Government in the period 1 May 2010 to 1 May 2012. They did so for a variety of reasons including redundancy, retirement, resignation, transfer and early exit.
	Of these, 466 were made redundant, seven on a compulsory basis. All others left on a voluntary basis.
	Additionally, 765 staff were made redundant from the Government Offices for the Regions, 192 were employed by the Department. Of those 765 staff that were made redundant, 154 were made redundant on a compulsory basis, 58 of which were employed by the Department.
	As part of the spending review settlement, the DCLG Group is making a collective 33% real terms saving against its running costs by 2014-15. This equates to savings of over £200 million by 2014-15. In addition, the Department will save a further £190 million from the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions, taking overall savings on administrative running costs to 42% across the DCLG Group by 2014-15. These savings reflect the coalition Government's agenda of decentralisation, ending the micromanagement of local government, the abolition of regional government, and the broader need to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.

Right to Buy Scheme

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is his policy that like-for-like replacements under Right to Buy will be (a) provided in the local area, (b) at the same rent levels and (c) with the same number of bedrooms.

Grant Shapps: For the first time ever, this Government has committed to re-invest the additional receipts from right to buy sales in new affordable rented housing. Our aim is, across the country as a whole, to deliver a new home for each additional home sold under the reinvigorated right to buy. We are inviting local authorities with an appetite to replace homes sold under the right to buy to enter into an agreement with us that allows them to retain and spend the additional funds on replacement homes for affordable rent. It will be up to individual local authorities to decide on the appropriate replacement housing mix to meet the needs of their area.
	Any receipts not used locally will be pooled and re-invested in new affordable housing by the Homes and Communities Agency (in London, the Greater London Authority) to provide homes across England—local authorities will be able to bid for this money as well.

Right to Buy Scheme

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Oral Answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 14, to the hon. Member for Reading East, on Right to Buy, how his Department arrived at the estimate of 100,000 sales and replacements.

Grant Shapps: This Government wants as many tenants as possible to meet their aspirations to become home owners. We have forecast the additional and total Right to Buy sales using the Department's Affordability Model—an econometric model developed by academics at Reading University. These forecasts are set out in the Right to Buy impact assessment which was published on 12 March, available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/rightobuyia

Social Rented Housing

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many households with children were on the social housing waiting list in each of the last three years; and how many children there were in households on that waiting list in each of those years;
	(2)  how many households with at least one pregnant member were on the social housing waiting list in each of the last three years.

Andrew Stunell: The Department collects data from local authorities on the number of households on their waiting lists for social housing and the number of bedrooms required. This data is published each year in the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns available from
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/localauthorityhousing/dataforms/
	Local authorities will maintain their own records on the types of households waiting for social housing but the Department does not centrally collate this information.

Third Sector

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on how to support voluntary and charitable organisations applying for local authority funding; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Department has not issued any specific guidance in this area.
	The Best Value guidance for local authorities, published in September 2011, sets out some reasonable expectations of the way authorities should work with voluntary and community groups and small businesses when facing difficult funding decisions.
	The Localism Act now means local authorities have greater power, independence and flexibility, and with this, local Compacts are becoming more important as a basis for improving the relationship between local authorities and the voluntary sector. Local Compact partnerships are key to ensuring organisations are better able to influence and deliver services which will have the most positive impact within their community.

Arts

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to support the creative industries in the north-east.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not provide direct support to the creative industries in individual regions, however, we have established the Creative Industries Council as a joint forum between the creative industries and government to focus on areas where there are barriers to growth facing the sector such as access to finance, skills and growth.
	Creative England was established in October 2011 with the core purpose of supporting the sustainable growth of independent creative businesses, and the talent that feeds them, in every part of England outside London. In London, the Mayor has responsibilities for promoting economic development and supporting growth in the creative industries.
	In addition, in Budget 2012, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced the introduction of three new tax reliefs for high end TV, video games and animation, building on the success of the film tax relief.

Arts: East of England

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to support the creative industries in the Eastern region.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not provide direct support to the creative industries in individual regions however we have established the Creative Industries Council as a joint forum between the creative industries and government to focus on areas where there are barriers to growth facing the sector such as access to finance, skills, and growth.
	Creative England was established in October 2011 with the core purpose of supporting the sustainable growth of independent creative businesses, and the talent that feeds them, in every part of England outside London. In London the Mayor has responsibilities for promoting economic development and supporting growth in the creative industries.
	In addition, in Budget 2012 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the introduction of three new tax reliefs for high end TV, video games and animation, building on the success of the film tax relief.

Arts: East of England

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the creative industries in the Eastern region;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the contribution of the creative industries to the economy in the Eastern region.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not currently produce regional data for creative industries estimates, either for employment or for gross value added (GVA).
	DCMS does, however, provide regional data on creative industries for the number of enterprises (head offices) and local units (workplaces) on a consistent basis for the last three years.
	This has been published on the DCMS website and can be found by clicking on the 'Key findings and table' documents located on the following webpage:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8682.aspx

Arts: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to provide support for the creative industries in London.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not provide direct support to the creative industries in individual regions however we have established the Creative Industries Council as a joint forum between the creative industries and. Government to focus on areas where there are barriers to growth facing the sector such as access to finance, skills, and growth.
	Creative England was established in October 2011 with the core purpose of supporting the sustainable growth of independent creative businesses, and the talent that feeds them, in every part of England outside London. In London the mayor has responsibilities for promoting economic development and supporting growth in the Creative Industries.
	In addition, in Budget 2012 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the introduction of three new tax reliefs for High end TV, Video Games and animation, building on the success of the Film tax Relief.

Arts: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the creative industries in London;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the contribution of the creative industries to the economy in London.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not currently produce regional data for Creative Industries estimates, either for employment or for gross value added (GVA).
	DCMS does, however, provide regional data on Creative Industries for the number of enterprises (head offices) and local units (workplaces) on a consistent basis for the last three years.
	This has been published on the DCMS website and can be found by clicking on the 'Key findings and table' documents located on the following webpage:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8682.aspx

Arts: South East

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to provide support for the creative industries in the South East.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not provide direct support to the creative industries in individual regions however we have established the Creative Industries Council as a joint forum between the creative industries and government to focus on areas where there are barriers to growth facing the sector such as access to finance, skills, and growth.
	Creative England was established in October 2011 with the core purpose of supporting the sustainable growth of independent creative businesses, and the talent that feeds them, in every part of England outside London. In London the Mayor has responsibilities for promoting economic development and supporting growth in the creative industries.
	In addition, in Budget 2012 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the introduction of three new tax reliefs for high end TV, video games and animation, building on the success of the film tax relief.

Arts: South East

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the contribution of the creative industries to the economy in the South East;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people employed in the creative industries in the South East.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not currently produce regional data for Creative Industries estimates, either for employment or for gross value added (GVA). DCMS is currently engaged in a project with partners to update the data and information provided on the creative industries.
	DCMS does, however, provide regional data on creative industries for the number of enterprises (head offices) and local units (workplaces) on a consistent basis for the last three years.
	This has been published on the DCMS website and can be found by clicking on the 'Key findings and table' documents located on the following webpage:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8682.aspx

Broadband: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of the effect on businesses of slow broadband speeds in Warrington; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: There is growing evidence that broadband connectivity and higher broadband speeds improve economic growth and productivity, which is why the Government is investing £680 million in the lifetime of this Parliament with the aim that the UK should have the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015.

Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many letters to Ministers in his Department were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The hon. Gentleman's researchers can find the most recent statistics in the ministerial written statement, published on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House. The responses to other correspondence to Ministers in this Department are not monitored in the way requested.

Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on the updating of published data in line with the Government's transparency agenda in each month since September 2011.

John Penrose: Work to update and publish information for the various strands of transparency reporting is integrated with other work of the Department's finance, procurement, public bodies and communications teams. The tasks undertaken form a small part of each member of staff time and it is not practical to maintain detailed costings for this work.

Listed Buildings: VAT

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has undertaken an impact assessment on the potential effect of the planned rise in VAT on alterations and repairs to listed buildings on (a) theatres, (b) galleries, (c) museums and (d) other arts organisations located in listed buildings.

John Penrose: DCMS has not made an impact assessment of the potential effect of the planned rise in VAT on alterations to listed buildings for these organisations, but has instead encouraged its arms' length bodies which represent these organisations, to identify the impact of this change and respond directly to HM Revenue and Custom's consultation.
	Museums that are eligible for support through the HMRC VAT Refund Scheme for National Museums and Galleries are able to recover VAT paid on building alterations.

National Lottery

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the total value of Lottery ticket sales in the Leicester South constituency (a) has been since the National Lottery began and (b) was in each of the last two years.

John Penrose: The National Lottery operator, Camelot, collects regional sales data based on their sales regions, which do not map to parliamentary constituency areas and does not include a breakdown of online ticket sales. These sales regions are not comparable with those used for the location of lottery grants awarded on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Lottery Grants Database, so this information is not available. For a more detailed examination of this issue the hon. Gentleman may like to read my blog at:
	http://blogs.culture.gov.uk/main/2012/01/scandals_weary_old _nonsense_an.html

Olympic Games 2012

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his strategy is to make best use of the opportunity afforded by the large number of sports ministers from other countries visiting London for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Hugh Robertson: The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games provide a unique opportunity to further strengthen the UKs extensive international partnerships through sport, increase our influence in international sports and to share knowledge and experience of hosting the games with future and prospective host nations. A key part of our engagement during the games will be the sixth Commonwealth Sport Ministers Meeting which the UK is hosting and which I will chair. The meeting will take place at Banqueting House on the 25 July.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade and Investment to strengthen opportunities for global trade and exports from UK business. Together with VisitBritain, we are using sport to boost inward tourism from priority markets through the GREAT campaign. Discussions with visiting Ministers will support that work.

Operating Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much was spent on the administration of his Department in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

John Penrose: The following amounts were spent on the Department's administration for the financial years in question. The figures do not include depreciation and impairment of departmental assets.
	The Department intends to reduce its inflation-adjusted administration costs (less depreciation) by 50% from the start of the spending review period in 2010-11 to the end of the period in 2014-15. The increase in 2011-12 reflects spend required to deliver the broadband project and the Olympic and Paralympics Games, both of which will decline in future years. It also includes spend on information economy, broadband and spectrum policy functions transferred from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as from 2011-12, which have increased this Department's cost base.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 49.908 
			 2010-11 46.515 
			 2011-12 (expected) 53.397 
			 Sources: 2009-10 and 2010-11: DCMS annual report and accounts—2010-11 (net outturn against final administration budget figures in Table 3.2 on page 85, less depreciation and amortisation figures in Table 11 on page 90) http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8309.aspx 2011-12: current anticipated final out-turn—subject to finalisation of figures and audit.

Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many staff working for his Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are employed through off-payroll engagements costing less than £58,200 per annum; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCM5) and its agency, The Royal Parks (TRP), does not employ anyone within the Department through off-payroll engagements except for agency staff. DCMS currently employ 15 agency staff at a rate equivalent to less than £58,200 per annum and TRP currently employ five agency staff at a rate equivalent to less than £58,200 per annum.
	DCMS does not hold this information for its executive agencies or arm’s length bodies. Accordingly, I have asked their chief executives to write directly to the hon.
	Member with this information.
	A copy of the letters will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) circulars and (b) consultation documents were issued by his Department in each of the last two years.

John Penrose: The hon. Gentleman's researchers can find the information on consultations at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/default.aspx
	The DCMS newsletter, the review, is issued every fortnight.

Agricultural Vehicles

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the average road distance travelled by agricultural vehicles per annum was in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of miles travelled on public roads by agricultural vehicles in 2011.

Michael Penning: Estimates for vehicle miles travelled by agricultural vehicles are not available.
	Annual traffic estimates are produced for 11 different vehicle types. Some agricultural vehicles are included within these broader categories. Agricultural machinery (other than tractors and mechanical diggers), such as combine harvesters, are excluded from traffic estimates.
	Annual estimates for 2011 will be published on 28 June 2012. Current 2010 Annual estimates are available on the Department for Transport website here:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/traffic-estimates-2010-revised/

Agricultural Vehicles

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many oil spillages caused by agricultural vehicles were cleared in the last year for which figures are available; and by whom.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Data on numbers of oil spills caused by agricultural vehicles which were cleared is not held centrally by this department.

Bus Services: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she has taken to increase funding for bus services and to increase the number of routes in the Morecambe Heysham area.

Norman Baker: As set out in the recent publication 'Green Light for Better Buses', available in the Library of the House, the Government has continued to support local bus services with significant funding, through concessionary travel reimbursement and bus service operators grant. In addition, we have recently provided a further £115 million to encourage bus usage: £70 million for Better Bus Areas; £30 million for green buses; and £15 million for smart ticketing. We have also made available around £200 million for local major bus infrastructure improvements. 35 of the 39 successful bidders for round one of the £560 million Local Sustainable Transport Fund included bus-related elements.

Dover Port

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department will ensure the privatisation of Dover Port will include a clawback mechanism to ensure that any undervaluation of the Port is recouped by the winning buyer.

Michael Penning: The Minister of State currently has an application under the Ports Act concerning Dover Port before her, and it would not be appropriate to comment on such matters ahead of that quasi-judicial decision being taken.

Fraud

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the level of (a) procurement and (b) other fraud affecting her Department's spending in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Since 2010, the Department has reported detected fraud and error on its quarterly data summaries. These quarterly data summaries are published on the departmental website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/business-plan-qds
	but they do not take into account estimates of undetected fraud loss. Nor do they split the losses between (a) procurement and (b) other fraud affecting departmental spend. Estimated figures for uncollected Vehicle Excise Duty are produced on an annual basis and published in the accounts of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, but the loss does not fall to the Department for Transport.
	The Department for Transport is committed to taking action to support the commitments of the Government's Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce. One of the taskforce's priority areas is a better assessment of fraud and error risk, and measurement of losses, and the Department is working, with support from the Cabinet Office, to identify fraud and error that was previously unknown.

Heathrow Airport

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she intends to take to improve capacity at Heathrow airport.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 24 May 2012
	In accordance with our programme for government, the coalition has cancelled plans for a third runway at Heathrow. We are pursuing a number of measures to improve our airports and get the most out of existing capacity. These include:
	(i) Taking legislation through the House of Commons to reform airport economic regulation, giving the CAA much more effective powers to intervene to protect the consumer interest if an airport is failing its passengers;
	(ii) Going forward with major improvements to surface access including Crossrail;
	(iii) Supporting the work under way by CAA and NATS to enhance airspace management, which has the potential to improve reliability and reduce the need for stacking;
	(iv) Progress on the Single European Sky project, including the establishment of the Functional Airspace block for the UK and Ireland, which is already delivering operational benefits;
	(v) Reform of aviation security regulation to move to an outcome-focused risk-based approach which is expected to enable security checks to be delivered in a more efficient and passenger-friendly way;
	(vi) Phase one of a trial of operational freedoms at Heathrow has taken place. We believe that these measures have the potential to improve operational performance at the airport, as well reducing late night departures, stacking and carbon emissions. Phase two is scheduled to commence on 1 July and a careful assessment of potential benefits and impacts will be made based on the evidence produced by the trial and the public consultation follows.

Highways Agency

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many uninhabited houses the Highways Agency owns in (a) Staffordshire and (b) the UK.

Michael Penning: On behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), the Highways Agency holds property that may be required for the improvement, management or operation of the Trunk Road and Motorway Network in England. The Agency does not own any property in its own right.
	The Highways Agency holds 60 uninhabited houses in England, two of which are in Staffordshire.
	Of those 60:
	24 are in the process of being sold
	10 are either in the process of being let or are being advertised for letting
	15 either have works under way or have works programmed
	11 are currently under review for repair or potential sale

London Airports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether she plans to conduct a review of the implementation of the Airports Slot Allocation Regulations 2006;
	(2)  whether she has considered the merits of referring the matter of the operation of slot allocation at London airports to the European Commission Competition Authority;
	(3)  if she will consider bringing forward proposals to amend the Airports Act 1986 to confer upon the Secretary of State the power to intervene in the allocation of slots at London airports in order to maintain the UK's aviation hub status;
	(4)  if she will make it her policy to seek to repatriate from the EU the power to intervene in the allocation of slots at London airports during negotiations on the amendment of the EU Slot Regulation.

Theresa Villiers: European Union regulations govern the allocation, transfer and exchange of slots at London's slot co-ordinated airports, in accordance with EU competition law. EU Regulation 95/93, which follows the International Air Transport Association World Slot Guidelines, provides common rules throughout Europe for slot allocation, which are aimed at providing airlines with fair and equal access to airports across the EU through independent and transparent slot allocation procedures.
	We do not propose to depart from the slot allocation processes prescribed by EU law and we have no current plans to review the Airport Slot Regulations 2006, which transpose the EU Slot Regulations in the UK. However, the EU rules governing slot allocation are under review as part of the European Commission's Airports Package and the Government is engaging with the Commission and others in the debate on these proposals.

Manpower

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants in her Department are expected to (a) retire, (b) be made redundant and (c) be recruited up to 2015.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its seven Executive agencies does not have a mandatory retirement age, though there are 2,590 staff who will have reached the normal pension age between now and the beginning of 2015.
	The Department has no current plans to make any compulsory redundancies up to 2015.
	The. Department is unable to accurately forecast how many and which jobs may become available in the next three years. In addition, the civil service recruitment freeze requires the Department to consider whether it is necessary to replace vacant positions and whether the skills exist within civil service before recruiting from outside of the service.

Manpower

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants in her Department have (a) been made redundant and (b) taken early retirement since May 2010; and how much has been paid in severance to staff leaving her Department since May 2010.

Norman Baker: The following table gives details of the number of civil servants who have left the Department for Transport and its agencies under redundancy schemes in each financial year since May 2010.
	
		
			 Department/agency Number Cost (£) 
			 2010-11   
			 Department for Transport(centre) 164 13,427,732 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 0 0 
			 Driving Standards Agency <5 38,931 
			 Maritime Coastguard Agency 7 160,932 
			 Government Car and Dispatch Agency 38 1,341,176 
			 Highways Agency 99 4,270,000 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 0 0 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 54 3,730,544 
			    
			 2011-12   
			 Department for Transport(centre) 99 4,256,418 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 0 0 
			 Driving Standards Agency 37 1,486,025 
			 Maritime Coastguard Agency 0 0 
			 Government Car and Dispatch Agency 26 522,837 
			 Highways Agency 0 0 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 0 0 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 36 803,104 
		
	
	These individuals left the Department under a number of separate redundancy schemes, including in 2010-11 under voluntary early retirement schemes. The availability to leave under voluntary early retirement ended with the change in the rules of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in December 2010.

Mobility Scooters

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that users of mobility scooters are properly trained.

Norman Baker: As part of the Department for Transport's review of the use of mobility vehicles, I have asked officials to undertake further work with the mobility vehicles industry, training providers, public transport operators and with user groups on a range of issues including how to make more use of existing specialist training providers and how to develop and promote training courses.

Motor Vehicles: EU Law

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of evidence used by the European Commission on the level of compliance with emissions limits for (a) L class vehicles and (b) commercial vehicles.

Michael Penning: We are not aware of any evidence of a lack of compliance with existing regulatory requirements on air pollutant emissions in respect of either L category (2 or 3 wheeled vehicles and quadricycles) or commercial vehicles. The European Commission's proposal to revise technical standards for new L category vehicles includes a package of measures to reduce emissions from these vehicles as existing standards are not as stringent as those of other vehicle categories.
	The Government's view is that these measures are not fully justified on air quality or cost benefit grounds and we. have therefore been seeking amendments to the proposal to reduce burdens on manufacturers.
	The Government's consultation on the Commission's proposal is available at:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2011-26/dft-2011-26-consultation.pdf
	and includes the impact assessment. The consultation period started on 5 September and ran for a period of eight weeks until 28 October.

Motorists' Forum

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times her Department's Motorists' Forum has met since its creation; when it will present its report; and to which Minister it will report.

Michael Penning: The Motorists Forum was reformed in summer 2011, and has met three times since that point. It engages regularly with Ministers, and its views on individual topics are communicated as part of regular business. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), attended the forum in person in November.
	The forum has also created a sub-group to give specific advice on the Secretary of State's announcement regarding the Garage Customer Experience. The sub-group has met twice and plans to meet a third time before finalising its report. The main forum will consider the report of the sub-group at its meeting in July before reporting to Ministers.

Mutual Societies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff who will transfer from her Department, its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies workforce to a mutual in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: No staff transferred from the Department for Transport to a mutual in 2011-12. We remain open to proposals for the future.

Parking

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) legal and (b) other recourses to settle disputes between public and private parking operators.

Norman Baker: Parking on private land is subject to contract law. It is ultimately a matter for the courts if a contractual dispute cannot be resolved between the parties concerned. A condition of introducing the provisions in Schedule 4 (concerning keeper liability) of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012—which will ban the immobilisation and towing away of vehicles in England and Wales without lawful authority—is that the private parking sector must provide a fully independent appeals service which will cover all tickets issued by private parking operators with accredited access to DVLA vehicle keeper data. The appeals service will be offered as a free service to motorists, and its decisions will be binding on the industry.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) circulars and (b) consultation documents were issued by her Department in each of the last two years.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport including its seven executive agencies issued 67 new consultation documents in 2010 and 65 in 2011.
	Information relating to circulars could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Rescue Services

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reports her Department has received on coastguard stations needing staff cover to maintain watches since May 2010.

Michael Penning: Watchkeeping levels are routinely managed by local HM Coastguard managers on an ‘Area’ basis. Where shortfalls occur at individual Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) these are mitigated with the use of:
	staff moves between watches;
	overtime; or
	mutual support from the MRCCs paired station. (The Area Concept of Operations, introduced in 2005, provides ability for paired MRCCs to provide mutual support for operational, business continuity or training purposes).
	For example these local arrangements are currently being deployed in the North East Scotland Area (Forth MRCC/Aberdeen MRCC) to manage reduced manning levels at Forth MRCC prior to its planned closure as part of the Coastguard Modernisation Programme.

Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she decided to reduce the number of carriages as part of the Intercity Express programme; for what reasons the decision was taken; and when Parliament was informed.

Theresa Villiers: Following the Foster review, the spending review and a subsequent value for money appraisal against the alternatives, the then Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond, informed Parliament of the decision to take forward a revised, lower cost proposal for the Intercity Express Programme from Agility Trains on 1 March 2011.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when financial close for the (a) Thameslink contract and (b) IEP contract will be completed. [R]

Theresa Villiers: The Department expects to conclude the core project agreements for the Thameslink Rolling Stock with Siemens and Cross London Trains shortly. Financial close is expected during the summer.
	Negotiations on the Intercity Express Programme are now in their final stages. We aim to reach financial close for the Great Western Main Line fleet during the summer.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has made representations to the French Government on levies charged on UK-bound trains by the French rail infrastructure manager RFF.

Theresa Villiers: No—charges levied by the French Infrastructure RFF are a matter for it and the users of the French rail network. However, all such charges have to comply with EU legislation.

Shipping

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects to respond to the conclusions of the legal working group on application of the National Minimum Wage Act 1988 to seafarers working on non-UK registered vessels travelling between UK ports; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: A legal working group has now concluded its consideration of the application of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 to seafarers working on non-UK registered vessels travelling between UK ports. The Minister of Employment Relations, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), will be responding to the conclusions of the working group in the near future.

Shipping

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 912W, on shipping: EU law, what assessment she has made of the extent to which the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 will prevent social dumping in the (a) shipping and (b) offshore industries; and if she will place in the Library a copy of any such assessment.

Michael Penning: The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 addresses fair competition and should hinder social dumping through the creation of a level playing field across the international shipping industry.
	The convention provides that ships of non-ratifying countries should have “no more favourable treatment” in the ports of ratifying countries. The impact assessments which we have prepared in support of the proposed UK regulations to implement the MLC, which will be published as part of the consultation package oh implementing legislation, will include the impact of applying the convention's provisions to ships of non-ratifying flags.

Shipping

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 912W, on shipping: EU law, whether UK ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 will result in the MLC applying to all seafarers working on all vessels in UK territorial waters irrespective of (a) seafarer nationality and (b) flag of state.

Michael Penning: The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 will provide comprehensive rights and protection at work for all seafarers regardless of their nationality and the flag of their ship when working on ships to which the MLC applies, as defined in article II of the convention.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she holds regular meetings with Ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Defence to discuss (a) flagging and (b) employment trends in the Merchant Navy; and when she attended the last such meeting. [R]

Michael Penning: We do not meet with ministerial colleagues in the Ministry of Defence regularly to discuss either flagging or employment trends in the Merchant Navy. The Government's policies are designed to support a strong UK shipping register and Merchant Navy.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2012, Official Report, column 876W, on shipping: treaties, with which requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 the UK is already compliant; what recent meetings she has had with (a) the shipping industry and (b) trade unions at which UK compliance was discussed; how many such meetings there have been since May 2010; and on what dates any such discussions have taken place. [R]

Michael Penning: There are a number of areas in which the UK is already fully compliant with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006; these include Titles 1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 2.7 and 4.5. In addition, current legislation already complies with a number of provisions within the other Titles. Where amendments to existing legislation or new provisions are required, the Government will consult. A first package of such measures will be issued for public consultation shortly.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency continues to chair meetings of a tripartite working group to keep the shipping industry and trade unions informed of progress with UK implementation of the MLC and to address any concerns expressed by stakeholders. Since May 2010, the working group has met on nine occasions as follows: May 2010, July 2010, September 2010, November 2010, January 2011 .April 2011, June 2011, November 2011 and March 2012.

Shipping: Treaties

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on ratification of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea treaty of international rules revising the legal and political framework for maritime carriage of goods; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Michael Penning: This Government supports the principle of consolidating, harmonising and modernising existing rules governing the carriage of goods by sea.
	The last Administration set up a stakeholder working group to bring together the various sectors of the UK maritime industry to assist the Government in making the right decision regarding ratification of this convention, commonly known as the ‘Rotterdam Rules’. However, this group was unable to reach any consensus of opinion.
	In these circumstances, the Government is continuing to monitor international reaction to this convention, and will review its position if and when other leading maritime and trading nations ratify it. To date, only one state has done so.

South West Trains

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Department's press notice of 8 May 2012, entitled Extra carriages mean more seats for commuters, whether the three new South Western Trains AM peak suburban services lengthened from eight cars to 10 cars will be added to the Reading to Waterloo service route.

Theresa Villiers: No. The three lengthened morning peak services referred to will be two originating from Guildford and one from Woking. Passengers from Reading will benefit from two new 8-car morning peak services that were announced on 23 December 2011.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reason he proposes to bring forward the start of individual electoral registration from 2014-15.

Mark Harper: The Government is committed to restoring trust in our political system. There is a widespread concern about electoral fraud in this country—a survey carried out at the end of last year by the Electoral Commission found that 36% of people believed that electoral fraud was a problem. This is a serious issue which we need to address. The Commission's report can be found at:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/146998/2011-Public-Opinion-Winter-Research-Topline.pdf
	When we came to office we were not convinced that that previous legislation was the best way to implement Individual Electoral Registration. It would have led to confusion and would have had a very significant cost. By speeding up the move to a new system we think it will be clearer and easier to communicate to people what we are doing, and save a significant sum of money.

House of Lords: Reform

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received on House of Lords reform.

Mark Harper: The Government has received more than 2,000 representations since the publication of its White Paper and draft House of Lords Reform Bill in May last year. The majority are concerned with the question of reserved places for Church of England Bishops in a reformed House of Lords.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what steps the Government is taking in respect of the voting rights of prisoners following the judgement given in the Scoppola v Italy (No.3) case by the European Court of Human Rights in May 2012; whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals as a result of the case; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to the judgement given in the Scoppola v Italy (No.3) case by the European Court of Human Rights in May 2012 to which categories of prisoner he proposes to grant the right to vote; and whether he plans to grant prisoners the right to vote based on the (a) type of offence their conviction relates to and (b) length of time they are serving in custody.

Mark Harper: The judgment in the case of Scoppola v. Italy (No. 3) was received on 22 May 2012. The Government will consider the judgment carefully, and its implication on the issue of prisoner voting in the UK

Driving Offences: Prosecutions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Attorney-General how many uninsured drivers were prosecuted in (a) 1997, (b) 2002 and (c) 2011.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of uninsured drivers prosecuted in (a) 1997, (b) 2002 and (c) 2011. This information could be obtained only by examining all of the CPS's cases files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	Records held by the CPS identify the number of offences charged under section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (use of a motor vehicle not insured or secured against third-party risks) in which a prosecution commenced rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. The data have been maintained since 2005. Prior to 2005 there is no central data. The number of offences prosecuted by the CPS in 2011 was 63,183. This figure represents only those cases prosecuted by the CPS. The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (Specified Proceedings) Order 1999 allows the police to prosecute uninsured drivers without reference to the CPS. The CPS does not maintain a central record of police prosecutions.

Third Sector

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Cabinet Office on the operation of the Investment and Contract Readiness Fund in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Investment and Contract Readiness Fund is England only and is funded by the Cabinet Office. A company may apply if they are based in and operate within England only.
	The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues concerning Social Investment. Recently, the Minister for Civil Society at the Cabinet Office visited Scotland where he visited a community based social enterprise before speaking to and meeting with delegates at a national event in Perth which looked at social investment opportunities and how the Big Society Capital will operate across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government is taking to publicise amongst businesses its online research tool for UK companies trading in minerals from conflict-affected areas of Democratic Republic of Congo, or whose products include components with such minerals.

Henry Bellingham: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) launched the conflict minerals website on 29 March 2011 at a trade event for British businesses, trading in minerals sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time of the launch we promoted the site widely, using social media channels and have advertised it periodically on the main FCO web page since then. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' web page covering the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development risk awareness tool has a link to the conflict minerals website.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what meetings he attended during his recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Andrew Mitchell: During my visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) I met with:
	1. The Governor of Katanga Moïse Katumbi Chapwe and his Cabinet, to discuss priorities for the province and. the UK development programme in DRC.
	2. Senior Management from Tenke-Fungurume Mining during a visit to their mine, to better understand constraints in the business environment in DRC.
	3. Ciaran Donnelly, Director of International Rescue Committee (IRC) DRC, who led a visit to Nkumanwa village, to show how UK funding is supporting community recovery and have the opportunity to meet with beneficiaries.
	4. The embassy and Department for International Development (DFID) teams in DRC, to discuss the UK development programme.
	5. The Chinese Ambassador in DRC, to explore opportunities for collaborative working.
	6. President Joseph Kabila, President of the DRC, to discuss development priorities in the DRC and promote increased transparency and accountability, especially in the mining sector, and private sector development.
	7. Major General Adrian Foster, Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO), to discuss the security situation and humanitarian impact of recent operations.
	8. A selection of private sector actors from a range of industries (Vodacom, Citibank, Rio Tinto, British American Tobacco, Anglo American, Bralima), to explore the opportunities and challenges in the business environment.
	9. Representatives from humanitarian agencies to receive an update on the situation in DRC.
	10. Opposition party representatives, Albert Moleka, Thomas Luhaka, Vital Kamerhe and Samy Badibanga, to discuss the elections and the future role of opposition in promoting democracy and accountability in DRC.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the outcomes of the sanitation and water for all meeting, what further steps he plans to take to help developing countries meet the Millennium Development Goal on sanitation.

Stephen O'Brien: Access to sanitation is one of the most off-track Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In light of this the UK Government has recently announced that it will double the commitments on water, sanitation and hygiene that we made last year.
	We will focus on providing access to basic services through low-cost technologies such as communal hand pumps and pit latrines. We will achieve this through a range of measures, including challenging charities and the private sector to compete for support on the basis of the value for money they offer.

Pensions

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Leader of the House what the pension entitlement is of the holder of the post of (a) Lord Chancellor and (b) Secretary of State for Justice; and if he will make a statement.

George Young: Details of the Lord Chancellor's pension and the pension arrangements for other offices of state are published annually in the Consolidated Fund (CF) Accounts. The Consolidated Accounts for 2010-11 may be found at the following link:
	www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc12/1290/1290.pdf
	The entitlement is half of the entitled salary per year and is payable from leaving office for life in accordance with provisions set out in legislation.
	The current the Lord Chancellor, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), has waived his legislative pension entitlement and has agreed instead to take a pension in line with the benefits paid under the Ministerial Pension Scheme (as set out in the Parliamentary Pensions (Consolidation and Amendment) Regulations 1993).
	Where the role of the Secretary of State for Justice is held by the Lord Chancellor, there is no additional pension entitlement as set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (Schedule 6, 17 (3)). Where this is not the case, benefits are paid under the Ministerial Pension Scheme (as set out in the Parliamentary Pensions (Consolidation and Amendment) Regulations 1993).

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many breaches of stand-alone anti-social behaviour orders have resulted in custodial sentences in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what sentences were awarded to individuals who breached stand-alone anti-social behaviour orders in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many stand-alone anti-social behaviour orders have been breached in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 22 May 2012
	The number of 'stand-alone' antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) proved in court to have been breached, together with the type of sentence received, in each year between 2006 and 2010 (the latest year for which data is currently available) can be viewed in the following table.
	ASBO data for 2011 are planned for publication on 18 October 2012.
	
		
			 Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) proved at all courts in England and Wales to have been breached for the first time within the periods shown (1)  with sentence breakdown, 2006-10 
			 ASBOs having been issued on application : 2006 2007 2008 (2) 2009 2010 
			 Breached(3) 662 636 505 512 484 
			       
			 Sentence received:      
			 Immediate custody(4) 120 95 114 102 96 
			 Community sentence 284 285 209 223 173 
			 Fine 84 87 72 92 100 
			 Discharge(5) 35 36 35 25 28 
			 Otherwise Dealt With(6) 139 133 75 70 87 
			 (1) ASBOs may be breached more than once and in more than one year. In this table ASBOs are counted once only within the period when they were first breached. Therefore only the sentence received on the occasion that the first breach was proved in court is shown in this table. (2) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July, and August 2008. (3 )This table only counts breaches of ASBOs issued on application by magistrates courts acting in their civil capacity and county courts. These are sometimes referred to as 'stand-alone' ASBOs. Breaches of ASBOs issued following conviction are not included in this table. (4) Includes: Detention and Training Orders; Young Offenders Institute and unsuspended imprisonment. (5) Discharge includes absolute and conditional discharges. (6) The category Otherwise Dealt With (ODW) includes; one day in police cells; disqualification order; restraining order; confiscation order; travel restriction order; disqualification from driving; hospital order; recommendation for deportation; and other miscellaneous disposals. Note: ASBO breach data are compiled by matching records of ASBOs issued with ASBOs breached. The nature of this matching process means that previously published ASBO breach data are subject to minor revision. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Antisocial Behaviour: Alcoholic Drinks

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.

James Brokenshire: The Government has taken decisive steps to tackle with alcohol-related antisocial behaviour. We have set out further radical proposals to tackle the harms caused by alcohol misuse in the Government's Alcohol Strategy, which was published on 23 March. We have also legislated to give the police and local communities more powers to deal with problems caused by irresponsible businesses and late night drinking.

Benzodiazepines

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Directive Decision 2008/206/JHA, whether 1-benzylpiperazine is subject to control measures and criminal provisions in the UK.

James Brokenshire: 1-benzylpiperazine (BZP) became a controlled Class C drug under Schedule 2 (Part III) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on 23 December 2009, together with its related compounds by way of a generic definition provided by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Complaints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints about the work of her Department and each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies were received in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Details of those complaints received by the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are shown in the following table.
	There is no centrally-held data about the number of complaints received. Available data are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Home Office/agency/non-departmental public body 2010-11 2011-11 
			 Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs 0 0 
			 Animal Procedures Committee 0 0 
			 Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) (1)2,246 (1)1,960 
			 Criminal Records Bureau Independent Monitor (2)— (2)— 
			 HOHQ correspondence complaints received centrally 15 4 
			 Equality and Human Rights Commission 80 64 
			 Forensic Science Regulator 0 0 
			 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary 0 1 
			 Identity and Passport Service (3)7,353 (3)8,258 
			 Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (now known as the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration) 0 0 
			 Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) (4)508 (4)466 
		
	
	
		
			 Independent Safeguarding Authority 59 21 
			 Interim CCTV Regulator 0 0 
			 Investigatory Powers Tribunal (includes Intelligence Services Commissioner and the Interception of Communications Commissioner) 164 (2)— 
			 Migration Advisory Committee 0 0 
			 National DNA Database Ethics Group 0 0 
			 National Policing Improvement Agency 0 0 
			 Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OSIC) (5)n/a (5)n/a 
			 Office of Surveillance Commissioners 0 0 
			 Police Advisory Board for England and Wales 0 0 
			 Police Arbitration Panel 0 0 
			 Police Discipline Appeals Tribunal 0 0 
			 Police Negotiating Board 0 0 
			 Security Industry Authority 751 512 
			 Serious Organised Crime Agency 20 34 
			 Technical Advisory Board 0 0 
			 UK Border Agency (UKBA) (6)104 serious misconduct complaints (6)88 serious misconduct complaints 
			  (6)1,182 minor misconduct complaints (6)1,118 minor misconduct complaints 
			  (6)10,554 service complaints (6)12,068 service complaints 
			 (1) The totals include complaints submitted about the service provided as well as other issues such as the retention of police records, recruitment decisions and the eligibility criteria for CRB checks. (2) Not available. (3) Figures include those for the General Register Office. (4) Complaints received by the IPCC in regard to its work and staff. (5) All complaints about the OISC have to be made to the parliamentary ombudsman. (6) UKBA categorises complaints from members of the public in three different ways: (i) Serious misconduct complaints. Allegations of any unprofessional behaviour which, if substantiated, would lead to misconduct proceedings. (ii) Minor misconduct complaints are usually to do with instances of rudeness and unprofessional conduct which are not serious enough to warrant a formal investigation. (iii) Service complaints are related to the way that the agency works, for example, delay, lost documents or administrative failings. These complaints are both about the actual service provided and the operational policies that the agency operates.

Human Trafficking: Children

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Burnley of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 256W, on human trafficking: children, what steps she is taking to (a) enhance her Department's ability to act early upstream and (b) achieve smarter multi-agency work at the border in order to tackle child trafficking.

Damian Green: The Government's Human Trafficking strategy includes a number of actions designed to enhance the United Kingdom's ability to act early and to deliver smarter multi-agency working at the border to better identify and protect human trafficking victims, including child victims.
	Specifically, the Home Office, working in partnership with a range of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other partners, is using existing networks abroad to tackle this issue. For example we have written to Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) posts stationed in identified priority countries to include human trafficking in their country business plans and to raise awareness. We have also facilitated contact between CEOP International Child Protection Networks abroad and NGOs to ensure that we combine all our efforts to act early upstream on this issue.
	The Home Office is also reviewing the information available on embassy websites for people intending to travel or work in the UK, in order to raise awareness of the threat of trafficking.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is also supporting a new regional anti-trafficking project in South Asia, focusing especially on labour migration of women and girls in the garment and domestic sectors in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The programme aims to reduce trafficking of 60,000 women and girls in these sectors over four years and the Home Office is represented on its steering group.
	The Government is also working to raise awareness locally and build on the success of multi-agency child safeguarding teams at the border such as Operation Newbridge and Paladin by mapping the key components of these models and working to ensure that intelligence structures are in place to support identification of priority threat ports. We are raising awareness of these models locally for example through inclusion of these good practice examples in updated guidance for practitioners 'Safeguarding Children who may have been trafficked'. This guidance can be found at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-00084-2011
	We are also raising awareness of child trafficking as a form of human trafficking with the airline industry, and this has successfully been tested with Virgin Atlantic.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the Investigatory Powers Tribunal to publish its 2011 annual report; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) is entirely independent from Government, and has no statutory obligation to produce an annual report. That said, the Government understands that the IPT will be placing statistics for cases received and resolved in 2011 on its website:
	www.ipt-uk.com
	in the near future.

Khat: Smuggling

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the level of smuggling of khat from the UK by organised crime and terrorist groups.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has not made any formal assessment into the level of khat exportation from the UK by organised crime and terrorist groups. The Government is currently reviewing the case for control of khat under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will consider all evidence on this issue available to it. Its advice will inform the Secretary of State for the Home Department’s decision.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 16 April 2012 with regard to Mr M Ayub.

Damian Green: I refer the right hon. Member to my letter of 28 May 2012.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 16 April 2012 with regard to Mr SA Hasan.

Damian Green: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 30 May 2012.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 18 April 2012 with regard to Mr G Fletcher.

Damian Green: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 30 May 2012.

Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff working for her Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are employed through off-payroll engagements costing less than £58,200 per annum; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: At 31 January 2012, the Home Department, including its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, had 20 staff employed through off payroll arrangements costing less than £58,200 per annum. The reference date used is consistent with recently published information for engagements costing more than £58,200 per annum.

Police: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made on rural policing; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The Government fully recognises the vulnerabilities of rural communities to particular crimes, and is committed to ensuring that policing priorities are focused on what matters to local people. The election of Police and Crime Commissioners in November 2012 will ensure that rural communities are given a stronger voice in determining local policing priorities, and the Government is providing the public with more street-level information about crime and anti-social behaviour on a monthly basis to ensure that they have the information to hold local forces to account. Schemes such as Farmwatch show how a local policing approach which empowers rural communities, working in partnership with the police and business, can share good practice to tackle rural crime.

Proceeds of Crime

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what her policy is on distribution of the proceeds of crime;
	(2)  what steps she takes to allow community projects to utilise the proceeds of crime.

James Brokenshire: Under the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme, frontline agencies receive 50% of the assets they recover. The use of incentive payments is a matter for each agency but at least a portion should be used to improve performance on asset recovery and, where appropriate, to fund local crime fighting priorities for the benefit of the community.

Proceeds of Crime

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of EU Council Decision 2007/845/JHA in tracing and identifying the proceeds of crime.

James Brokenshire: The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. This measure, Council Decision 2007/845/JHA concerning cooperation between asset recovery offices of member states in tracing and identifying the proceeds of crime, falls within the scope of that decision and will be reviewed accordingly.

Suicide: Internet

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will give the National Crime Agency responsibility for the monitoring of suicide recipe sites; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The Government does not routinely monitor the internet and the National Crime Agency (NCA) will not be asked to do so. However, where there is evidence of serious, organised or complex online criminal activity the NCA will have the ability to lead or support an appropriate law enforcement response in collaboration with partners.
	The Government is committed to suicide prevention. In July 2011 the Government published a Consultation on preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives. As part of a range of measures to reduce the suicide rate, the draft strategy highlighted the need for continuing to support the internet industry to remove content that encourages suicide and provide ready access to suicide prevention services. The consultation period ended on 11 October 2011. Around 200 responses were received from a broad range of organisations and individuals. The Government is now considering all the responses received and intends to publish the final strategy later this year.

UK Border Agency

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what cost savings have been achieved on each of the contracts held between the UK Border Agency and private sector providers; and if she will estimate the projected cost of bringing the work in-house in each case.

Damian Green: We are unable to specifically outline, contract by contract, the cost savings achieved in each one our contracts for the past five years—or the projected cost of bringing this work in-house—as this information is not centrally held. To provide this information would require us to go through each of our contracts, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Aircraft Carriers

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of his Department were employed on a (a) part-time and (b) full-time basis on work to assess the costs, risks and technical feasibility of fitting cats and traps in the carrier programme; and what estimate he has made of the cost of this work under each category of expenditure.

Peter Luff: Within the Ministry of Defence, the conversion of the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class aircraft carriers is not considered to be a stand-alone project, but rather an extension of the core QE build project. The Ship Acquisition team which has responsibility for delivering the QE Class, currently has 64 personnel assigned to the carriers: of these 61 were providing support to both the core build and conversion investigations, the remaining three personnel were supporting the conversion investigations on a full-time basis.
	To the end of April 2012, we had committed up to £39 million on conversion appraisal investigations and £1 million on an Air-to-Air Refuelling Study.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people worked on the Concept Development Phase looking at the installation of catapult and arrestor gear in (a) the UK and (b) the US.

Peter Luff: Within the Ministry of Defence, the conversion of the Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class aircraft carriers is not considered to be a stand-alone project, but rather an extension of the core QE build project. The Ship Acquisition team which has responsibility for delivering the QE Class, currently has 64 personnel assigned to the carriers: of these 61 were providing support to both the core build and conversion investigations, the remaining three personnel were supporting the conversion investigations on a full-time basis.
	To the end of April 2012, we had committed up to £39 million on conversion appraisal investigations and £1 million on an Air-to-Air Refuelling Study.

AWE

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which dates representatives of the Government have met representatives of the US administration to discuss co-operation on the enriched uranium facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the uranium processing facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex; and if he will place a copy of the minutes of such meetings in the Library.

Peter Luff: There have been no meetings between Government representatives from the UK and the US on this matter.
	However there are regular routine lower level discussions between staff of Atomic Weapons Establishment and their US counterparts.

AWE

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representatives of the US administration are permanently stationed at (a) the Atomic Weapons Establishment and (b) his Department's Strategic Systems Executive.

Peter Luff: There are no representatives from the US administration permanently stationed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
	The Polaris Sales Agreement 1963, as modified in 1982, mandates that both the UK and US have liaison representatives in support of their nuclear weapons programmes in each other's nations. In the UK Ministry of Defence, the Chief Strategic Systems Executive area has one US Navy Commander as the US liaison officer, who is assisted by four civilians from the US Department of the Navy.

Defence: Fuels

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department expects to make a decision on the future management of the fuel storage and distribution facility at Yonderberry managed by Defence Fuels Group.

Peter Luff: The facility at Yonderberry is part of the naval oil fuel depot (OFD) at Thanckes. Responsibility for management and operation of OFD Thanckes transferred from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Defence Fuels Group to the Oil and Pipelines Agency in summer 2011 although the site remains in MOD ownership. The Oil and Pipelines Agency is a public corporation sponsored by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond). Provisions for the possible sale of the agency are contained within the recently published draft Energy Bill.

Defence: Procurement

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, column 263, on Defence budget and transformation, which armoured fighting vehicles are included in his plans.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) plans to spend some £5.5 billion on the Army's core armoured vehicle programme over the next 10 years. Within this programme, we have already approved the demonstration and manufacture of the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme and the Demonstration Phase of the Scout Specialist Vehicle. The armoured vehicle programme also resources the further stages of Scout Specialist Vehicle manufacture, and in due course a Utility Vehicle and improvements to Challenger 2.
	The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made clear in his statement to the House on 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-64, that, in order to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the past, the MOD will not commit funding to programmes before it is necessary to do so.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the National Security Council played in the decision to procure the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter.

Peter Luff: The National Security Council took the decision to revert to the short take off vertical landing variant having taken into account the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond).

Ordnance Board: Disclosure of Information

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 16 October 2001, Official Report, column 1141W, on the Ordnance Project Board, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Ordnance Board Report Board Project G/220A dated 23 February 1982; for what reasons no letter was placed in the Library by his Department on the review conducted to determine whether some or all of the information could be released into the public domain; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The information will take time to locate and review. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
	Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Caroline Lucas:
	I undertook to write to you in response to your parliamentary question answered on 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 440W about the disclosure of Ordnance Board Report Board Project G/220A dated 23 February 1982.
	The document has been retrieved and, because the document is classified, a review board has been conducted to consider whether the Ordnance Board Report Board Project G/220A dated 23 February 1982 can be released into the public domain. The review board concluded that the report can now be released for the following reasons:
	The system referred to in the report is due to be taken out of service by January 2013 at which point the report would have become unclassified.
	The system is not used within the UK, but is held as a standby system in other areas of the world. It is expected to be superseded by a new weapon and ammunition in the near future and is therefore unlikely to be used.
	Records indicate that, in 2001, a review was conducted to determine whether some or all of the information requested by Kevin McNamara MP could be released. The results of the review concluded that disclosure of this information would harm the conduct of international relations or affairs. Accordingly, the document was withheld under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which relates to defence, security and international relations but records do not indicate whether a copy of the outcome of the review was placed in the Library at the time.
	A copy of the report has now been placed in the Library of the House.

Sea Wolf Missiles

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's current inventory of operational Sea Wolf missiles is; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence does not comment on the specific number of its weapon systems as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces. There are sufficient Sea Wolf Missiles to fulfil the Department's operational and training commitments until the missile system's out of service date.

Shipping

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department last reviewed the UK's strategic requirements for merchant vessels; what conclusions were reached; and if he will place a copy of any such conclusions in the Library.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence last reviewed its requirements for strategic sealift in autumn 2011. This concluded that four roll-on-roll-off vessels provide the optimum requirement.

Trident

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total projected cost is of the Trident renewal programme; and whether this is included in his Department's committed core equipment programme.

Peter Luff: The Initial Gate parliamentary report, published on 18 May 2011, laid out the costs of the nuclear successor programme and confirmed that the programme remains within the 2006 White Paper costs of £11-14 billion in 2006-07 prices. The Ministry of Defence has since committed to provide an annual report to Parliament on costs and progress of the project, with the first report due shortly. The Successor submarine programme is included within the core equipment programme.

Trident Submarines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned end of service date is for each of the Vanguard Class submarines.

Peter Luff: As outlined in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the planning assumption for service entry of the first Vanguard successor submarine is 2028. The in-service dates for subsequent boats will be determined at Main Gate in 2016. The out-of-service dates for the Vanguard class submarines will be managed to ensure that continuous at sea deterrence is maintained throughout the transition to the new class.

Warships

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost for the SMART-L air search radars purchased for the Type 45 destroyers and Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: The SMART-L air search radar has not been purchased for Type 45 Destroyers (T45s) nor the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Aircraft Carriers. A derivative of SMART-L, the S1850M, known as the Long Range Radar (LRR) was purchased for the T45s and is being purchased for the QEC Aircraft Carriers.
	The costs of LRR for Development and Initial Production, Follow on Procurement and Initial Support Contract costs incurred by the Department to March 2012 are in the region of £114 million (excluding VAT).
	The Development and Production and Initial Support costs of the LRR for the QEC Aircraft Carriers total £32.5 million (VAT). At the present time, no follow on procurement costs have been identified.

Abortion

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether he has made an assessment of recent trends in the number of websites offering guidance on home abortions; what steps he is taking to investigate such websites; and whether he plans to take any further action against them;
	(2)  whether he has made an estimate of the number of deaths caused by home abortion attempts in each (a) socio-economic, (b) ethnic and (c) age group in the last five years; and how many police raids on properties involved in performing or offering online guidance on home abortions there have been in the last five years.

Anne Milton: It is important for women in Great Britain to be able to access safe, legal abortion services; the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended) makes provision for this. Any abortion performed outside the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 or any intention of causing a woman to miscarry her pregnancy, is illegal.
	There are strict legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertisement of medicinal products in the United Kingdom, including those used for abortion. Any incidences of websites offering for sale to the public drugs that may cause an abortion should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), who are responsible for the regulation of medicines on the UK market.
	Treatment for an abortion must be carried out only in national health service hospitals or places approved by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley).
	Data are not collected centrally on the number of raids carried out by the Police in relation to websites offering advice and/or drugs for use in home abortions.
	The Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) produce a report every three years about maternal deaths. The latest report (published 2011) includes the period. 2006-08 during which there were no deaths due to the illegal terminations of pregnancy.

Antidepressants: Prescriptions

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for each selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor anti-depressant were issued in each quarter of 2011.

Simon Burns: Information is only available on prescription items dispensed. The numbers dispensed for each medicine classified as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in the British National Formulary section 4. 3. 3, is as follows.
	
		
			 Number of prescription items for each selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England, in each quarter of 2011 
			 Medicine Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 
			 Citalopram 3,230,779 3,287,259 3,457,000 3,511,580 
			 Escitalopram 303,953 301,160 298,249 289,151 
			 Fluoxetine Hydrochloride 1,343,705 1,368,189 1,394,853 1,408,912 
			 Fluvoxamine Maleate 7,252 7,235 7,322 7,063 
			 Paroxetine Hydrochloride 387,020 389,226 393,714 392,180 
			 Sertraline Hydrochloride 813,420 878,918 943,714 988,150 
			 Total 6,086,129 6,231,987 6,494,852 6,597,036 
			 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system

Antidepressants: Prescriptions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many anti-depressants were prescribed each year in each region of the UK in each year for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Information is only available on prescription items dispensed in the community in England. The table shows the number of prescription items dispensed for drugs classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary (BNF) section 4.3 for each available year.
	
		
			  Number of prescription items (thousand) 
			 1991 8,955 
			 1992 9,914 
			 1993 10,777 
			 1994 11,816 
			 1995 13,227 
			 1996 14,961 
			 1997 16,823 
			 1998 18,424 
			 1999 20,108 
			 2000 22,022 
			 2001 24,343 
			 2002 26,329 
			 2003 27,658 
			 2004 28,996 
		
	
	
		
			 2005 29,390 
			 2006 31,038 
			 2007 33,840 
			 2008 35,961 
			 2009 39,140 
			 2010 42,788 
			 2011 46,678 
			 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system

Breasts: Plastic Surgery

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings (a) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality, (b) officials in his Department and (c) members of the Expert Group have had with private sector cosmetic surgery providers during the preparation of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary's review of the regulation of PIP breast implants; and what the (i) dates and (ii) attendees were of any such meetings.

Simon Burns: No meetings were held with private sector cosmetic surgery providers by either Ministers or departmental officials as part of the ministerial review of the actions of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Department in relation to PIP silicone breast implants.
	Departmental officials held a meeting with private health care providers on 13 February 2012 to discuss the sector's response to the issues of PIP breast implants. The ministerial review was not discussed at this meeting. The following organisations attended the meeting:
	Independent Healthcare Advisory Service
	Nuffield Health
	Spire Healthcare Ltd
	BMI Healthcare
	Ramsay Health Care UK
	Aspen Medical Care
	The Harley Medical Group
	Transform Medical Group
	Linia Cosmetic Surgery
	Court House Clinics
	Make Yourself Amazing
	Bridgewater Hospital
	The Hospital Group.
	The Department does not hold information on meetings attended by individual members of the PIP Expert Group.

Cancer

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department plans to conduct the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey on an annual basis;
	(2)  what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with the NHS Commissioning Board Special Health Authority on funding for cancer networks after 2013;
	(3)  with reference to Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, what progress he has made in meeting the target for saving additional lives each year by 2014-15.

Paul Burstow: Fieldwork for the 2011-12 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey was completed in April and we hope to publish national and trust level reports between June and July.
	We have recently approved a further survey for 2012-13, and from April 2013 onwards, decisions about the survey will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB).
	We have already made clear that there is a role for clinical networks, such as cancer networks, in the reformed national health service, as a place where clinicians from different sectors come together to improve the quality of care across integrated pathways.
	The cancer networks are a clear example of how this way of working delivers better quality. This is why the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced in May 2011 that we would continue to fund cancer networks in 2012-13 and that the NHS CB will support strengthened cancer networks.
	From April 2013, funding of clinical networks will be a decision for the NHS CB. A review of clinical networks is currently under way, to consider the functions, structures and governance that will mostly effectively support commissioners to deliver improved quality and outcomes in the future.
	‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’, published on 12 January 2011, sets out actions to tackle preventable cancer incidence, to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer and to improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services. The impact assessment for the strategy estimates that through the plans for earlier diagnosis of symptomatic patients, screening developments and expansion of radiotherapy services we can save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15. It is too early to assess the progress made in meeting this commitment.
	The first annual report, published on 12 December 2011, sets outs the achievements over the first year of the cancer strategy and what the priorities are for the year ahead.

Drugs: Prices

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of progress against his objective to introduce a new value-based system of pricing for medicines when the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme expires at the end of 2013;
	(2)  which patient groups or representative organisations he consulted as part of the process of developing a new value-based system of pricing for medicines.

Simon Burns: The consultation, ‘A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines’ ran from December 2010 to March 2011, and the Government response to the consultation was published on 18 July 2011, ‘A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines: Government response to consultation’. This summarised the responses received to the consultation and set out the Government's views on the key issues raised. The response also included the names of patient groups and representative, organisations that responded to the consultation. A copy has already been placed in the Library. It is also available from the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Responsestoconsultations/DH_128226
	We continue to work towards the intended introduction of value-based pricing for medicines in 2014.

General Practitioners

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to issue contracts of employment to the chairs of clinical commissioning groups; and if so when he plans to do so.

Simon Burns: No. It will be for clinical commissioning, groups (CCGs) to agree the contracts of employment for their staff. Each group may appoint such persons to be employees as it considers appropriate; it will pay remuneration and travelling and other allowances in accordance with determinations made by its governing body, and employ them on such other terms and conditions as it may determine. Where a chair is not an employee, it will be for the CCG to agree their remuneration and other terms and conditions, where these are not set out in regulations.

Hospitals: Standards

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken by his Department to ensure that (a) patients receive adequate nutrition while in hospital, (b) patients receive adequate hydration while in hospital, (c) patients' toileting needs are adequately met, (d) patients receive adequate pain relief to meet their needs and (e) patients are able to receive help when they ask for it.

Anne Milton: There is a great deal of best practice guidance and resources in place that support the delivery of high quality, safe and effective care. This includes ensuring patients receive adequate food and drink, pain relief and help when requested.
	The Energising for Excellence Framework being taken forward by the strategic health authority chief nurses, is a total quality approach to improving care. “The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2012/13” includes requirements to improve the care of older people and dignity and respect; a national Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) goal relating to the use of the safety thermometer will help focus commissioners and providers on reducing the harm from pressure ulcers, falls, catheter-related infections and blood clots.
	At the heart of the health care reforms is a focus on improving the quality and outcomes of health care for patients. One of the NHS Commissioning Board's roles will be to provide national leadership, in driving up the quality of care. The board, along with clinical commissioning groups, will have a legal duty to secure continuous Improvement in the quality of services and outcomes. The Chief Nursing Officer will have a specific remit to improve the safety and people's experience of nursing care.
	On 6 January 2012 the Prime Minister announced a series of measures to improve the quality of nursing care and free up nurses to provide the care patients and their relatives expect. These included setting up the independent Nursing and Care Quality Forum, tasked with ensuring that best nursing practice is spread throughout the national health service and social care.

Medicine: Education

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) student midwives, (b) student doctors and (c) student nurses were in receipt of a bursary in each academic year since 1997-98; what the average bursary paid to each was in that year; and what the total cost was to his Department of bursaries paid to those students.

Anne Milton: The number of student midwives, student doctors and student nurses who held a bursary in each year since 1997-98, the average bursary paid to those students and the total cost are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Student midwives on pre-registration degree and diploma courses 
			  Number of bursary holders (l) Average amount paid per bursary holder (2 ) (£) Total amount paid £) 
			 1997-98 102 2,999 305,914 
			 1998-99 362 2,853 1,032,758 
			 1999-2000 1,216 3,868 4,703,867 
			 2000-01 1,980 4,250 8,415,316 
			 2001-02 2,751 4,726 13,002,223 
			 2002-03 3,166 4,863 15,397,679 
			 2003-04 3,541 4,995 17,688,013 
			 2004-05 3,738 5,521 20,637,109 
			 2005-06 3,901 5,657 22,067,168 
			 2006-07 3,812 5,716 21,787,618 
			 2007-08 3,996 5,813 23,228,490 
			 2008-09 4,265 5,715 24,373,689 
			 2009-10 4,777 5,765 27,539,804 
			 2010-11 5,218 5,722 29,854,947 
		
	
	
		
			 Student nurses on pre-registration degree and diploma courses 
			  Number of bursary holders (1) Average amount paid per bursary holder (2)  (£) Total amount paid (£) 
			 1997-98 — — — 
			 1998-99 1,272 1,991 2,531,982 
			 1999-2000 18,207 3,805 69,274,583 
			 2000-01 33,507 4,463 149,556,571 
			 2001-02 48,700 5,121 249,376,136 
			 2002-03 56,500 5,118 289,171,150 
			 2003-04 58,088 5,207 302,438,759 
			 2004-05 59,369 5,531 328,364,818 
			 2005-06 60,108 5,744 345,257,860 
			 2006-07 60,464 5,825 352,179,688 
			 2007-08 57,441 6,001 344,721,676 
			 2008-09 56,415 6,243 352,183,188 
			 2009-10 57,786 6,404 370,037,635 
			 2010-11 57,725 6,422 370,723,915 
		
	
	
		
			 Student doctors on degree courses 
			  Number of bursary holders (1) Average amount paid per bursary holder (2)  (£) Total amount paid excluding tuition fees (£) Tuition fees (3 ) (£) 
			 1997-98 — — — — 
			 1998-99 — — — — 
			 1999-2000 — — — — 
			 2000-01 14 2,120 29,687 n/a 
			 2001-02 932 586 546,045 n/a 
			 2002-03 4,153 1,386 5,755,069 n/a 
			 2003-04 5,965 1,559 9,298,854 n/a 
			 2004-05 6,694 1,709 11,439,462 n/a 
			 2005-06 8,406 1,759 14,789,517 8,055,885 
			 2006-07 9,249 1,865 17,251,889 9,075,960 
			 2007-08 10,022 1,851 18,551,600 10,909,494 
			 2008-09 10,640 1,754 18,658,860 12,798,778 
			 2009-10 10,932 1,809 19,779,938 14,572,596 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 11,402 1,717 19,580,043 23,214,244 
			 (1) Includes nil award holders (European Union fees only students and students whose living allowance element of the bursary has been reduced to nil after income assessment). Apart from a small number of students on graduate training programmes, the majority of medical students only became eligible for national health service funding from academic year 2002-03. (2) Includes the basic award and all supplementary allowances and one-off payments e.g. reimbursement of practice placement costs and disabled students allowance. (3) A student's liability for a tuition fee contribution is paid directly to the higher education institution upon receipt of an invoice. Tuition fee data for student doctors can only be extracted from NHS Student Bursary Scheme database from 2005-06 onwards. Prior to these data these payments were made by a manual process. Bursary amounts and averages have been rounded to the nearest pound. Source: NHS Business Services Authority.

NHS: Interest Rates

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost and likely implications for the NHS if the UK were subject to commercial interest rates of 6.5 per cent.

Simon Burns: Most borrowing-in the national health service is by NHS providers for capital investment. The majority of this borrowing is from the Department. Repayments to the Department for this borrowing are recycled into allocations to the NHS or into further borrowing. Thus, as a sealed system there are no resources lost to the NHS as a whole regardless of the actual level of the interest rate.
	NHS providers have a choice as to whom they borrow money from. If rates were increased to become similar to commercial rates, they would still be somewhat lower than commercial rates as commercial rates would always include an additional margin for risk. Thus most borrowing, in reality, would still be sourced from the Department and thus would not represent a net increased cost to the NHS as a whole.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of backlog maintenance for the NHS estate in England was, by level of assessed risk, in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2009-10 2010-11 
			 High risk 301 322 
			 Significant risk 1,107 1,022 
			 Moderate risk 1,514 1,524 
			 Low risk 1,174 1,299 
			 Total backlog maintenance 4,096 4,166 
		
	
	Data for 2011-12 is currently being collected and will be published in October 2012.
	Backlog maintenance is the amount of investment heeded to bring the estate up to a satisfactory standard. It is reduced through either capital investment or the disposal of the estate.
	The Department collects data on backlog maintenance annually from the national health service trusts through its Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC). The data collected has not been amended centrally and its accuracy always remains the responsibility of the contributing NHS organisations.
	NHS organisations are locally responsible for the provision and maintenance of their facilities. This includes planning and investment to reduce backlog maintenance.
	The data definitions used in ERIC to collect this data are:
	
		
			 Risk level Definition 
			 High risk Where repairs/replacement must be addressed with urgent priority in order to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services or deficiencies in safety liable to cause serious injury and/or prosecution. 
			 Significant risk Where repairs/replacement require priority management and expenditure in the short term so as not to cause undue concern to statutory enforcement bodies or risk to healthcare delivery or safety. 
			 Moderate risk Where repairs/replacement require effective management and expenditure in the medium term through close monitoring so as not to cause undue concern to statutory enforcement bodies or risk to healthcare delivery or safety. 
			 Low risk Where repairs/replacement are required to be addressed through agreed maintenance programmes or included in the later years of an estate strategy.

Nurses: Schools

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified school nurses there were in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency and (b) England in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: Washington and Sunderland West constituency falls within the area covered by Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT). The number of qualified school nurses employed by the national health service in Sunderland Teaching PCT and England in the annual NHS workforce census for each of the last three years is shown in the table.
	The table from the annual NHS workforce census shows that there was one qualified school nurse employed by the NHS in Sunderland Teaching PCT in 2009 and that no qualified school nurses were employed by the NHS in Sunderland Teaching PCT in 2010 and 2011. However; school nurses are often employed outside the NHS and if they are employed in the NHS they tend to have a lead employer for a wider patch.
	
		
			 NHS hospital and community health services: qualified school nursing nurses in England, the North East strategic health authority area and each specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year 
			 Full time equivalent 
			  2009 2010 2011 
			 England Qualified School Nurses 1,167 1,096 1,165 
			 Of which:    
			 North East Strategic Health Authority area Qualified School Nurses 51 50 58 
			 Of which:    
			 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Qualified School Nurses 0 0 49 
			 Darlington PCT Qualified School Nurses 44 45 0 
			 Gateshead PCT Qualified School Nurses 3 2 5 
			 North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation trust Qualified School Nurses 3 3 3 
			 North Tyneside PCT Qualified School Nurses 0 0 3 
			 Northumberland Care Trust Qualified School Nurses 1 0 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT Qualified School Nurses 0 0 1 
			 South Tyneside PCT All School Nursing nurses 14 0 0 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT Qualified School Nurses 1 0 0 
			 Notes: 1.School nurses are often employed outside the NHS and if they are employed in the NHS they tend to have a lead employer for a given area. 2. As part of the changes that are currently effecting the organisational structure of the NHS the legally defined PCTs have clustered into larger regional units to provide a more consistent approach to care in their local health economy and to benefit from the savings such as shared management teams that this offers. In the case of the PCTs in the North East of England these changes have been present for some time and this can be seen in the increases and decreases in staff numbers (for example qualified nurses) across the PCTs as provision has been centred on one of the local PCTs within the cluster. 3. A few NHS organisations existed within the Electronic Staff Record database with small numbers of staff as a result of the impact of Transforming Community Services and the resultant system mergers and demergers which were still ongoing at the time of the 2011 census. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

Oestrogen

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the amount of oestrogen in drinking tap water; and if he will make an assessment of the amount of oestrogen found in take-away food.

Anne Milton: The Drinking Water Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has carried out and published a risk assessment on endocrine disrupting chemicals, including oestrogen hormones. The most recent evidence shows that it is highly unlikely that these substances are present in drinking water. In addition, water companies are required by law to risk assess each water supply and to test the raw water for any substances that might be present at a level of concern to public health.
	Oestrogens are natural hormones and as such will be found in foods of animal origin such as meat, eggs and milk. Oestrogenic hormones are produced naturally by some plants. Very low levels of various synthetic chemicals with oestrogenic activity can also be present in some foods. Any takeaway food comprising one or more of these ingredients may contain traces of oestrogens. The Food Standards Agency has not conducted any survey to assess the levels of oestrogens in takeaway foods and has no plans to do so.

Organs: Donors

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many donated organs were discarded by the NHS in each financial year since 1997-98.

Anne Milton: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Organs donated in the United Kingdom for transplant but not used, April 1997 to March 2012 
			 Number 
			  Kidney Pancreas (1) Heart Lung Liver Total 
			 1997-98 70 20 9 52 34 185 
			 1998-99 84 7 12 54 37 194 
			 1999-2000 76 5 11 22 37 151 
			 2000-01 89 7 5 35 39 175 
			 2001-02 80 21 8 40 32 181 
			 2002-03 76 33 9 42 52 212 
			 2003-04 49 33 6 48 40 176 
			 2004-05 93 33 3 62 46 237 
			 2005-06 90 48 4 64 61 267 
		
	
	
		
			 2006-07 62 47 6 33 48 196 
			 2007-08 100 108 3 36 50 297 
			 2008-09 131 162 3 65 69 430 
			 2009-10 164 170 2 50 75 461 
			 2010-11 178 189 4 40 88 499 
			 2011-12 193 161 0 18 94 466 
			 Total 1,535 1,044 85 661 802 4,127 
			 (1) Including islets (since 2008-09). Source: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). 
		
	
	
		
			 Reasons for non-use 
			  Percentage 
			 Organ 57.7 
			 Donor 9.3 
			 Recipient 2.7 
			 Logistical 1.2 
			 Other 29.2 
			 Source: NHSBT. 
		
	
	The introduction of the Organ Donation Taskforce recommendations has meant more families being approached and subsequently agreeing to donate their loved ones organs. This has resulted in a steady increase in the number of transplants in this country over the past seven years, and a 34% increase in deceased donation since 2007-08. However by approaching more potential donors this has also increased the number of donors whose organs are unsuitable for donation.
	The reason for non-use of organs is recorded as one of five categories. The most common reason is because of a problem with the organ itself, which on retrieval leads to the organ being classed as unsuitable for transplantation. Other reasons include a problem with the donor for example background checks highlighting a previous health condition; a problem with a recipient for example if they become too unwell for transplant to take place; or logistical issues such as the timeframe to get the organ to the recipient hospital being too short. Where the reason for not accepting an organ for transplant is more detailed than fits in the above categories or the reason is not clarified by the transplant centre, it is recorded as 'other'.

Out-patients: Attendance

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to the NHS is of a missed out-patient appointment.

Simon Burns: No estimates have been made centrally of the cost to the NHS of missed outpatient appointments.

Palliative Care

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirements are placed on hospitals to inform next of kin when a do not resuscitate order is put in place; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing have issued a joint statement “Decisions relating to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (2007)”, which includes guidance on communication and discussion with patients, or those close to patients who lack capacity, around such complex and sensitive decisions, and can be found at:
	www.resus.org.uk/pages/dnar.htm
	The Department commends this guidance as an appropriate basis for hospital trusts to develop resuscitation policies.
	The General Medical Council has also published detailed guidance on making decisions on cardiopulmonary resuscitation in “Treatment and care towards the end of life: good practice in decision making (2010)”. This encompasses the discussions that doctors must consider when making decisions about cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This guidance can be found at:
	www.gmc-uk.org/End_of_life.pdf_32486688.pdf

Postgraduate Education: Fees and Charges

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department provided for postgraduate course fees at higher education institutions in England in 2011-12.

Anne Milton: This information is not collected by the Department.
	Postgraduate training covers a wide range of professions and may be funded by individual employers, the individual or through the multi professional education and training budget dependent on the course undertaken.
	The MPET budget for 2012-13 is £4.9 billion. This budget funds education and training for health care professions, part of which covers postgraduate education and training for 44,649 medical trainees.
	MPET is not ring-fenced. Strategic health authorities (SHAs), in conjunction with their associated deaneries, higher educations institutes, primary care trusts and national health service trusts are responsible for commissioning the appropriate level of health care workforce training posts to meet the needs of the local population. It is the responsibility of SHAs to invest the budget appropriately, as local NHS organisations are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community and plan the workforce they require to deliver services for patients.

Prostate Cancer

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider including one and five year survival rates for prostate cancer in the NHS Outcomes Framework.

Paul Burstow: The NHS Outcomes Framework is designed to be a balanced, high-level set of outcome goals that signal improving quality across the breadth of national health service services. We consulted fully on which indicators to include in it, and selected indicators across a range of population groups and health conditions.
	We considered including a specific indicator on prostate cancer but decided that it was not suitable, because one-year and five-year cancer survival can artificially be elevated by increased prostate specific antigen testing, without necessarily reducing mortality.
	However, the Outcomes Framework contains seven indicators on cancer, including the under-75 mortality rate from cancer, which covers prostate cancer alongside all other types of cancer.

Sick Leave

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of sickness absence was in each (a) NHS organisation and (b) non-NHS independent sector treatment centre in each year since 1997-98; and how many work days were lost in each, in each year.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not available.
	Sickness absence is not reported by the number of day's absence because of the difficulty in defining a standard working day in the national health service. Different shift patterns and the 24-hour nature of employment in the NHS mean that a percentage of whole-time equivalents is the standard used to define levels of sickness absence data in the NHS.
	Sickness absence in the NHS is recorded in the electronic staff record system, in which the start and end of each absence by NHS staff is inputted. Every quarter since April 2009, the NHS Information Centre has calculated the national percentage of whole-time equivalents that the sum of these absences represents. The most recent figures for sickness absence can be found on the Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/sickness-absence
	Data prior to April 2009 is not available. Due to the inconsistent ways in which data was collected prior to this date, it is not possible to report accurate data before April 2009.
	The electronic staff record system only records data for NHS employees. As such there is no available sickness absence data for staff in non-NHS independent sector treatment centres.

Tranquillisers: Misuse

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what dedicated withdrawal services are provided for involuntary tranquilliser addiction in (a) South Cambridgeshire, (b) Sutton and Cheam and (c) Chelmsford and Guildford constituency; and how many patients were successfully treated in each of those constituencies in each of the last three years.

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on recognition of involuntary tranquiliser addiction as a medical condition; what his Department's definition is of involuntary tranquiliser addiction; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of people diagnosed with involuntary tranquiliser addiction.

Anne Milton: The National Drug Strategy focuses on tackling all drugs of dependency, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Services should be responsive to the needs of the individual, irrespective of an individual's route to dependence.
	The determination of a diagnosis of dependence is a clinical judgment. It does not depend on the cause of dependence, although this would be a consideration in care planning.
	The system of classification commonly used by practitioners in the United Kingdom for such diagnoses is the International Classification of Diseases System (ICD-10), developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). ICD-10 gives clear criteria for a diagnosis of tranquilliser dependence under code F13.2—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of sedative hypnotics.
	These guidelines suggest that a cluster of three or more problems are required for a definite diagnosis of dependence. Anyone identified with a tranquilliser withdrawal syndrome who is showing two other listed problems would meet these ICD-10 criteria for dependence.
	It has not been possible to establish a definite prevalence estimate of dependency on prescription or over the counter medicine. However, the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) does collect information on the numbers of people in structured treatment for drug dependence.
	The analyses for the report on Addiction to Medicine which was published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse on 11 May 2011 identified NDTMS data about the treatment of people being treated for addiction to medicines. It is not possible to analyse NDTMS data by parliamentary constituency. Information recorded on NDTMS about numbers treated for addiction to medicine in the local drug partnerships which include the constituencies listed by the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) is given in the following table.
	The columns headed "licit only" show the numbers of people treated for dependence to prescribed or over-the-counter medicine when there is no concurrent use of illicit drugs. The columns headed "licit and illicit" show the numbers of people treated for dependence who are using licit and illicit drugs concurrently. The methodology for analysing the NDTMS data is explained in Annex 1 of the NTA's report in May 2011.
	
		
			  Cambridgeshire Sutton Essex Surrey 
			  Licit only Licit and illicit Licit only Licit and illicit Licit only Licit and illicit Licit only Licit and illicit 
			 2009 35 141 7 70 58 266 78 207 
			 2010 34 137 6 83 62 290 75 239 
			 2011 32 149 13 80 61 333 78 267 
		
	
	Services to treat dependence are commissioned locally. Information about whether service providers organise clinics or sessions specifically for people addicted to medicine is not collected centrally.

Vaccination

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether new vaccines will be included in the proposed value-based pricing scheme or continue to be procured via a tender process.

Simon Burns: In developing the value-based pricing system, the aim is to create a system that has the capability to include the broadest possible range of new medicines, thus minimising the need for parallel mechanisms. Notwithstanding this, we note that there may be instances where it is sensible to conclude that an individual medicine should not be assessed .under value-based pricing. We will keep the situation under review. If, as our work progresses, it becomes clear that some medicines, such as vaccines, would be better dealt with under different arrangements, we will consider alternative options.

Business: Loans

Alistair Darling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Bank of England's quantitative easing programme on bank lending to small business; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The independent Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) policy tools, including quantitative easing (QE), are macroeconomic policy tools designed to affect the economy as a whole, in order to meet the 2% inflation target over the medium term.
	The Bank of England estimates in its September 2011 Quarterly. Bulletin that QE has raised spending and activity in the UK economy in order to help hit the inflation target in the medium term. The Quarterly Bulletin article also notes that given the strains in the financial system, the MPC expected little impact through the bank lending channel.
	The Government recognises that the flow of credit to smaller businesses is constrained and ongoing pressures on bank funding are affecting borrowing costs. In order to address these pressures, the Government launched the £20 billion National Loan Guarantee Scheme on 20 March to lower the cost of bank loans for smaller businesses and expanded the Business Finance Partnership to £1.2 billion at Budget 2012 to encourage the development of non-bank lending channels for SMEs and mid-sized businesses.

Child Benefit

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Office of National Statistics on whether the payments to be made to HM Revenue and Customs by higher rate taxpayers in receipt of child benefit are to be classified as a tax.

David Gauke: This is a decision solely for the independent Office for National Statistics.

Finance (No. 4) Bill

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he sought legal advice on the compatability of Schedule 1, paragraph 2 of the Finance (No. 4) Bill 2012 with the principle of confidentiality outlined in section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005; and whether he consulted on that issue.

David Gauke: The Government's position is that HMRC has the function of collecting the high income child benefit charge, which a taxpayer will need to notify HMRC about by way of their tax return. The disclosure to the taxpayer of very limited information that directly impacts on their own tax or child benefit position, and which is for the purpose of completing their tax return is a disclosure made for the purposes of HMRC's functions.
	There was no consultation on this issue. Having carefully examined all of the possible options, this is the best possible design.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to answer the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 26 March 2012 with regard to Mr Shaun Gordon.

David Gauke: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Personal Service Company Arrangements

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will require HM Revenue and Customs to interview those applying for a personal service company arrangement in order to assess that it is genuine.

David Gauke: HMRC has no role to play in .considering whether or not an individual is providing their services through a personal service company or in whether or not that is an appropriate working arrangement.
	HMRC's role is to ensure that those providing their services through personal service companies comply with the relevant tax and national insurance obligations and that includes compliance with the Intermediaries legislation (commonly known as IR35) as appropriate.
	Personal service companies are legitimate commercial arrangements, the Government recognises this and wants to support genuine entrepreneurial activity.

Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many buildings owned by his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible have been empty for more than two years; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The only empty buildings held by the Department or the bodies for which it is responsible are 23 empty buildings held by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The majority of the empty buildings are disused offices on the site of a decommissioned power station. Others are derelict farm buildings on land NDA owns near its sites. Nineteen of the properties are held by NDA Properties Ltd with a view to lease or sale.

Energy: Prices

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of collective purchasing in the energy market.

Charles Hendry: Collective purchasing and switching has the potential to help consumers get a fair deal on their energy bills. Following the Big Switch, a collective switch organised by Which?, they estimate that 70% of consumers who signed up will save an average of £123 per year and that 30,000 households could reduce their bills by over £200.

Green Deal Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who the members are of all current working groups in his Department working on the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: A table detailing the membership of current Green Deal working groups will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Besides formal working group membership, in some cases group members co-ordinate views from among a wider group of stakeholders.
	In addition, my hon. Friend the Member for Stourbridge (Margot James), chairs a Green Deal Women's panel which has membership made up of individuals rather than organisations.

Housing: Insulation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of empty lofts which have not yet been insulated.

Gregory Barker: The latest publicly available estimate of lofts without insulation in Great Britain is 779,000 in 2009. A significant proportion of these lofts are expected to have now been filled, primarily under CERT, CESP and Warm Front. The Government's latest view of the current number of lofts without insulation will be published in the Green Deal and ECO Impact Assessment.

Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy that the UK Government delegation to the 35th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in July 2012 should propose an amendment to the proposed revision to Appendix A to the Principles Governing IPCC to include all the lead authors' responses to review comments in what will be made available to all reviewers on request during the review process.

Gregory Barker: The proposed revision to the IPCC Procedures, is to correct an error which occurred at 33rd Session of the IPCC, by re-insertion of the text
	“All written expert, and government review comments will be made available to reviewers on request during the review process”.
	The details are contained in document IPCC-XXXV/Doc. 11, available on the website of the IPCC
	http://www.ipcc.ch/
	As all reviewers of the First Order Draft of an IPCC report have the opportunity to see how their comments have been addressed if they opt to review the Second Order Draft, the UK has no plans to propose an amendment to the above revision to Appendix A to the Principles Governing IPCC.

Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what target he has set to reduce headcount across his Department and non-departmental public bodies in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The planned headcount for DECC and its arm's length bodies
	(a) increased by 9% in 2010-11 compared to the previous year;
	(b) reduced by 5% in 2011-12 compared to the previous year; and
	(c) reduced by 6% in 2012/13 compared to the previous year.
	The increase in 2010-11 reflected the fact that DECC was a new Department that was still establishing its corporate functions and developing new programmes. The majority of the reduction in the subsequent two years is because DECC reduced and then ended its arm's length relationship with the Carbon Trust and Energy Savings Trust. DECC continues to work with these bodies on a contractual basis but it no longer finances and funds them. As a result they are no longer considered by the Treasury to be part of DECC for budgetary control purposes. By the end of the current spending review period in 2014-15, staff numbers are planned to fall by 23% for DECC and its arm's length bodies compared to the baseline year of 2009-10.
	There are planned increases in staff numbers of 2% in 2011-12 and 4% in 2012-13 as DECC makes the transition from a policy based Department to a delivery based Department. Numbers for DECC and its arm's length bodies (excluding the Carbon Trust and Energy Savings Trust) are then planned to fall by 7% in 2013-14 compared to the prior year and by 8% in 2014-15 compared to the previous year.
	The preceding figures exclude the Civil Nuclear Police Authority which is a self financing body where force numbers are planned to grow in response to increased activity commissioned by nuclear operating companies.

Natural Gas

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 681, on shale gas, if he will place a transcript of the seminar on shale gas in the Library.

Charles Hendry: It is not Government policy to release details of ministerial meetings with external parties as to do so could hinder open discussion between those parties’ and Government.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on safety in the offshore energy sector of the practical difficulties for trade unions of gaining access to workplaces on offshore installations; and if he will bring forward proposals to address such difficulties.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have recently made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Offshore Installations (Safety Representatives and Safety Committees) Regulations 1989 and concluded that general compliance with these requirements, which help to ensure workforce involvement offshore, was good. Any practical difficulties that trade unions face in gaining access to workplaces on offshore installations was not raised as an issue affecting offshore health and safety standards or specifically as negatively impacting on the effectiveness of existing offshore safety representatives and safety committee requirements. Therefore, HSE is not proposing to bring forward any proposals to address this issue.

RenewableUK

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any of the staff working in his Department have previously been seconded to RenewableUK.

Gregory Barker: There are no staff, working for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), who have previously been seconded by the Department to RenewableUK. DECC does not hold details of the previous employment of its staff on a central database.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what process his Department used to commission BiGGAR Economics to prepare a report on the investment and jobs provided by the onshore wind industry;
	(2)  on what date BiGGAR Economics were commissioned to prepare a report on the investment and jobs provided by the onshore wind industry;
	(3)  how much his Department paid to BiGGAR Economics for its recent report on the investment and jobs provided by the onshore wind industry.

Charles Hendry: The report by BiGGAR Economics on 'Onshore Wind—Direct and Wider Economic Impacts' published in May 2012 was commissioned by RenewableUK through a competitive tendering process run jointly by DECC officials and RenewableUK. 8 organisations with expertise in carrying out economic analysis of the energy sector were invited to tender. 3 bids were received and evaluated jointly by RenewableUK and DECC officials. The BiGGAR tender was accepted as it scored most highly against the evaluation criteria set by RenewableUK and DECC.
	The contract between RenewableUK and BiGGAR Economics was signed on 27 January 2012.
	The project was funded jointly by DECC and RenewableUK. DECC contributed grant funding of £15,000 to RenewableUK for the costs of procuring the research.

Every Business Commits

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Answer of 24 January 2012, Official Report, column 231W, on the third sector, what performance indicators his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of the Every Business Commits scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	Every Business Commits brings together a wide range of activity across Government to enable UK business to get involved in responsible business practices, either through their normal business operations or their corporate responsibility programmes. The overarching objective is to increase the capacity and capability of business to get involved in these initiatives, this will vary both between initiatives and businesses. An example of these initiatives is Trading for Good—a new digital platform developed by business for business that will help small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) to showcase what they are doing around the five main challenge areas of Every Business Commits. Trading for Good is able to track what SME's are doing to grow the message of responsible business practice. Trading for Good launches in July 2012.

Government Departments: Disputes Resolution

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many applications have been made under the internal disputes resolution procedure within Government departments; and how many such applications have been resolved in favour of the applicant.

Francis Maude: Internal disputes resolution procedure most commonly relates to pensions. Answering on this basis, the information about the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme's internal disputes resolution procedure is contained in the Resource Accounts for Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation. This includes numbers of complaints investigated and resolved. Copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Arms Trade: Treaties

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that human rights provisions are included in the UN's Arms Trade treaty.

Alistair Burt: The UK has played a leading role in international efforts since 2006 to secure a robust and effective, legally binding Arms Trade treaty. As we approach the UN Diplomatic Conference in July to conclude negotiations on the treaty, Ministers and senior officials regularly raise the issue bilaterally and multilaterally with key states to build support for a treaty which will set the highest possible common standards for the international trade in conventional arms, including strong provisions on human rights and international humanitarian law.

Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage further implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

Alistair Burt: There are currently 165 states parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). 31 countries remain outside the convention. The UK supports universality of the convention and played a key role in persuading two new states parties, Burundi and Mozambique, to join in 2011. We also ensured that the Seventh Review conference in December 2011 gave greater impetus to promote the convention’s universality and agreed a more action-oriented intersessional work programme to enhance implementation of the convention.
	The Government helped shape a new EU Council Decision on the BTWC which was cleared by the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee on 9 May. The Council Decision will help implement the decisions of the convention’s Seventh Review conference in December 2011.

British Nationals Abroad: Pensions

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions he and Ministers in his Department have met their counterparts from (a) Australia and (b) Canada to discuss indexation of UK state pensions paid to recipients permanently residing in those countries since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed this with his Australian counterpart Bob Carr shortly after he took office earlier this year. He also discussed this with his Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister Baird, in February this year, and with Baird's predecessor Lawrence Cannon in July 2010. In these meetings, the Foreign Secretary reiterated our longstanding position that the UK only pays annual index-linked increases where there is a legal requirement, and that this does not apply to British pensioners living in Australia or Canada. We have no plans to change the current arrangement.

Data Protection

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely benefits to the UK derived from the EU exchanging classified information with the US under the terms of EU Council Decision 2007/274/JHA.

David Lidington: EU Council Decision 2007/274/JHA concerns a data sharing agreements between the EU and the United States. This Decision establishes rules for the sharing of sensitive information. An assessment of this Decision was made by the then Government at the time of its adoption.
	The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 that have not been amended or replaced. All of the aforementioned measures fall within the scope of that decision. Officials are undertaking a full analysis of all those measures, which will be reviewed carefully by Government.
	There are a number of similar data sharing agreements between the EU and third countries which are in the table.
	I have already answered similar questions, related to the Agreements with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 26 Mar 2012, Official Report, column 977W, Ukraine 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 447W and am today also answering questions on Croatia, Iceland, and Switzerland.
	
		
			  Decision Official Journal of the European Union Reference 
			 2004 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Council Decision 2004/731/EC of 26 July 2004) OJ L 324, 27.10.2004 
			 2004 Norway (Council Decision 2004/843/CFSP of 26 July 2004) OJ L 362, 09.12.2004 
		
	
	
		
			 2005 The Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Council Decision 2005/296/CFSP/JHA of 24 January 2005) OJ L 94, 13.06.2005 
			 2005 Ukraine (Council Decision 2005/481/CFSP of 13 June 2005) OJ L 172, 05.07.2005 
			 2006 Croatia (Council Decision 2006/317/CFSP of 10 April 2006) OJ L 116, 29.04.2006 
			 2006 Iceland (Council Decision 2006/467/CFSP of 21 November 2005) OJ L 184, 06.07.2006 
			 2007 The United States of America (Council Decision 2007/274/JHA of 23 April 2007) OJ L 115, 03.05.2007 
			 2008 Switzerland (Council Decision 2008/568/CFSP of 24 June 2005) OJ L 181, 10.07.2008 
			 2009 Russian Federation (Council Decision 2010/348/EC of 17 November 2009) OJ L 155, 22.06.2010

Democratic Republic of Congo

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Richmond Park of 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 756W, on the Democratic Republic of Congo, if he will assess the compatibility of drilling for oil in the Virunga National Park and UNESCO World Heritage site in Democratic Republic of Congo with international agreements on nature conservation and world heritage; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The EU is financing a study of the potential impacts of oil exploration in Virunga. We fully support this work, which we are part funding through our direct contributions to the EU. The decision on whether oil exploration should be allowed to go ahead in Virunga is for the Congolese Government. It is also their responsibility to decide whether, drilling for oil in the Virunga National Park is compatible with international agreements on nature conservation and world heritage. We expect countries which have signed up to international conventions to abide by their obligations under them. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), made this clear to President Kabila when they met in April.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department takes to monitor the extent to which UK companies trading in minerals from conflict-affected areas of Democratic Republic of Congo, or whose products include components with such minerals, undertake due diligence on their supply chains.

Henry Bellingham: We are working with the international community to find practical and sustainable solutions to the problem of conflict minerals. The UK has played a key role in lobbying for a coordinated approach to developing due diligence guidance. The UK has fed into, supported and promoted the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) guidance for supply chain due diligence and has funded a feasibility study by the OECD on a mechanism to monitor due diligence. We encourage British companies to adhere to these guidelines. The UK is playing an active role in the current stage of the process, which is developing supplementary guidance on gold and other minerals. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also developed an online tool to help British companies who may be trading in minerals sourced from conflict-affected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), or whose products include components that include such minerals.
	The UK, alongside the World Bank, is also funding the PROMINES programme which aims to increase accountability and transparency in the DRC minerals sector. This will help legitimise the trade in minerals and ensure the proceeds stay out of the hands of armed groups.

Disclosure of Information

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely benefits to the UK derived from the EU exchanging classified information with Iceland under the terms of EU Council Decision 2006/467/CFSP;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely benefits to the UK derived from member states of the EU exchanging classified information with Croatia under the terms of EU Council Decision 2006/317/CFSP.

David Lidington: holding answer 24 May 2012
	EU Council Decisions 2006/467/CFSP, 2006/317/CFSP and 2008/568/CFSP concern data sharing agreements between the EU and Iceland, Croatia and the Swiss Confederation, respectively. These decisions establish rules for the sharing of sensitive information. An assessment of these decisions was made by the then Government at the time of their adoption.
	The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 that have not been amended or replaced. These measures fall within the scope of that decision. Officials are undertaking a full analysis of all those measures, which will be reviewed carefully by Government.

Egypt

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to increase its public diplomacy and people-to-people contacts in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: We have an active public diplomacy programme in place in Egypt, using culture, sport and education as a common platform for engagement. The British Council runs a range of engagement programmes, including 'Young Arab Voices,' which focuses on developing debating societies; the Active Citizens programme, which connects organisations and people around the world and helps them get involved in local community initiatives; and the Young Creative Entrepreneur programme to support and connect innovative entrepreneurial leaders in the creative and cultural industries. In Egypt the UK also offers Chevening Scholarships to support study at UK universities
	We are planning a number of events to promote the Olympic legacy, including through the British Council's International Inspiration programme, which will provide opportunities for involving young people in physical education and sport. This will be in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, National Sports Council, Egyptian Olympic Committee and Egyptian Para Olympic Committee.

Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the empty or largely empty buildings owned by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office runs an estate comprising more than 5,000 properties in 250 locations worldwide. Our portfolio is regularly reviewed to ensure we are getting value for money and maintaining a fit for purpose estate.
	We currently have eight properties in seven locations that have been empty for two years or more. Three of these properties are for sale; the other properties may be sold or recycled pending the resolution of either security or administrative issues.
	The following table lists the locations:
	
		
			 Post Property 
			 Colombo Old compound 
			 Berlin House (currently negotiating sale) 
			 Portimao Old office (for sale) 
			 Palma Old office (currently negotiating sale) 
			 Algiers Old embassy 
			 Iraq Former British embassy (outside of International Zone) 
			 Russian Federation Two residential flats

Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many buildings owned by his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible have been empty for more than two years; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office runs an estate comprising more than 5,000 properties in 250 locations worldwide. Our portfolio is regularly reviewed to ensure we are getting value for money and maintaining a fit for purpose estate.
	We currently have eight properties in seven locations that have been empty for two years or more. Three of these properties are for sale; the other properties may be sold or recycled pending the resolution of either security or administrative issues.
	The following table lists the locations:
	
		
			 Post Property 
			 Colombo Old compound 
			 Berlin House (currently negotiating sale) 
			 Portimao Old office (for sale) 
			 Palma Old office (currently negotiating sale) 
			 Algiers Old embassy 
			 Iraq Former British embassy (outside of International Zone) 
			 Russian Federation Two residential flats

Gibraltar: Spain

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Spanish Government on the recent incursions into British Territorial Waters by the Spanish Guardia Civil.

David Lidington: We are deeply concerned by these incursions which demonstrate a serious escalation in Spanish interference in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) and we have protested formally to the Spanish authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed this with Spanish Foreign Minister Garcia-Margallo on 29 May. Spanish agencies do not have any jurisdiction in BGTW. We are confident of UK sovereignty over BGTW and are committed to upholding UK sovereignty. We make this clear to the Spanish Government whenever appropriate.

Gibraltar: Spain

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effect of the recent incursions by the Spanish Guardia Civil in British Territorial Waters off Gibraltar on the status of relations between the British and Spanish Governments.

David Lidington: We are deeply concerned by these incursions which demonstrate a serious escalation in Spanish interference in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) and we have protested formally to the Spanish authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed this with Spanish Foreign Minister Garcia-Margallo on 29 May. Spanish agencies do not have any jurisdiction in BGTW. We are confident of UK sovereignty over BGTW and are committed to upholding UK sovereignty. We make this clear to the Spanish Government whenever appropriate. We do not wish the escalation in illegal action by Spanish agencies to damage the wider relationship which Spain and the UK enjoy.

Gibraltar: Spain

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Spanish government has made to the Government on Gibraltar since May 2010.

David Lidington: Successive Spanish Governments have made representations to the Government about Gibraltar since May 2010. We have made clear on numerous occasions the UK's position on sovereignty has not changed and will not change. The UK will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another State against their wishes. Furthermore, the UK will not enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content. We remain committed to furthering co-operation between Gibraltar and Spain through appropriate arrangements for dialogue which are acceptable to Gibraltar.

Israel

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure products from illegal Israeli settlements are not purchased by (a) his Department and (b) UK diplomatic missions abroad, whether directly or through third parties.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) follows UK and EU guidelines when purchasing goods and services from suppliers. Since these guidelines do not currently differentiate between products emanating from Israel or from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the FCO has not taken any steps in this regard.
	We understand the concerns of people who do not wish to purchase goods exported from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It was in order to enable consumers to make a more fully informed decision concerning the products they buy that, in December 2009, the UK introduced voluntary guidelines to enable produce from Israeli settlements in the occupied territories to be specifically labelled as such. At other partners' request, we have shared our experience of operating this voluntary labelling scheme with interested countries.
	The issue of settlement produce is actively discussed with our EU partners. EU Foreign Ministers, at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 14 May, agreed that:
	"the EU and its Member States reaffirm their commitment to fully and effectively implement existing EU legislation and the bilateral arrangements applicable to settlement products. The Council underlines the importance of the work being carried out together with the Commission in this regard."
	This ongoing work includes measures to ensure that settlement produce does not enter the EU duty-free, under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and steps to ensure that EU-wide guidelines are issued to make sure that settlement products are not incorrectly labelled as Israeli produce, in violation of EU consumer protection regulations. There are, however, currently no plans for EU or domestic legislation on this issue.

Israel

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Israeli authorities on the planning process in Area C in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: We are working with our European partners towards greater Palestinian Authority control over Area C in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including over the planning process.
	The EU's Foreign Affairs Council, in Conclusions agreed on 14 May, called on Israel to meet its obligations regarding the living conditions of the Palestinian population in Area C, including by accelerated approval of Palestinian master plans, halting forced transfer of population and demolition of Palestinian housing and infrastructure, and simplifying administrative procedures to obtain building permits. We will continue to encourage Israel and the Palestinian Authority to work together to achieve these aims.
	Related to this set of issues, we remain concerned about demolitions of Palestinian property in Area C, as well as elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We continue to urge Israel to desist from such demolitions, which we consider to be contrary to Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law; harmful to the peace process; as well as causing unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians.
	The UK continues to support Palestinians facing demolition or eviction through our funding of the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme which helps individuals to challenge these decisions in the Israeli legal system.

Israel

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the damage to UK funded or supported projects in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem by the Israeli authorities in the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The UK has not had a specific reason to seek compensation from Israel as no UK-funded projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have been destroyed recently. Records at the British embassy in Tel Aviv indicate that the last UK-funded project affected was the demolition of some water facilities near Hebron in 2002. Some projects funded by the EU and other European partners have been affected and are the subject of discussion with the Government of Israel.
	The UK is focussed on preventing demolitions of Palestinian property in the first place, whether funded by the international community or not. We are working with other EU member states to make clear to Israel the need for significant streamlining of the procedure for Palestinians to gain planning permission in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank (specifically Area C) and the need to halt all demolitions until a more effective process is in place.

Israel

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 271W, on Israel, what the outcomes were of the British Ambassador to Israel's visit to the Negev Coexistence Forum and his meeting with residents of the Bedouin village Al Arakib on 16 May 2012.

Alistair Burt: On 16 May 2012, the British ambassador to Tel Aviv visited the Negev. The trip included a visit to Arad, the unrecognised village of Al Araqib, and Be'er Sheva. The ambassador discussed in depth the situation facing Bedouin in the village of Al Araqib and the realities of living in the southern region of Israel. The visit to Al Araqib was hosted by the Negev Coexistence Forum, an NGO that works to:
	'provide a framework for Jewish-Arab collaborative efforts in the struggle for civil equality and the advancement of mutual tolerance and co-existence.'
	The ambassador met the village leader and former residents who had since moved to surrounding areas. The ambassador was briefed on the history of Al Araqib. Residents told him the village had been demolished 37 times. The ambassador said that the British embassy would continue to raise this issue with the Government of Israel and undertook to follow up with Minister Benny Begin following his visit.

Lebanon

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the security situation in Lebanon of the conflict in Syria.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned by recent incidents of violence in Lebanon which have highlighted the risks that the Syria crisis poses to peace in the region. It is important that Lebanon's stability is not another victim of Assad's repression. We are calling on all Lebanese factions to work together to reduce tensions and prioritise Lebanon's interests. As part of our efforts to strengthen the Lebanese state and Lebanon's stability, we have doubled our assistance to the army and the police.

Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what target he has set to reduce headcount across his Department, its non-departmental public bodies and Executive agencies in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: Over the work force planning period from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2015, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) plans to reduce its permanent UK-based staffing by around 10% from a starting strength of around 4,800. We expect to achieve this reduction through a combination of normal staff turnover and voluntary exits.
	We do not have this subdivided as you request but during FY 2010-11, UK-based staffing fell from around 5,000 to roughly 4,800.
	Work force planning in the FCO’s non-departmental bodies and agencies is devolved and information on any targets is not held centrally.

NATO

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the International Board of Auditors of NATO completed its audit of NATO’s financial statements for each of the last five years; how many of these accounts were qualified by the auditors; for what reasons; and when these audited financial statements will be published.

David Lidington: In 2011, the International Board of Auditors of NATO issued 33 financial audit reports which comprised 49 auditor’s opinions on the accounts of NATO bodies and associated organisations. 35 of these accounts received unqualified audit opinions. The board issued 14 qualified, adverse, or disclaimer of audit opinions on the financial statements of nine different entities.
	In 2010, the board issued 29 financial audit reports which comprised 42 auditor’s opinions on the accounts of NATO bodies and associated organisations. 32 of these accounts received unqualified audit opinions, including two accounts that were corrected and reissued. The board issued nine qualified audit opinions and one disclaimer of audit opinion on the financial statements of eight entities, of which, the majority related to compliance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).
	In 2009, the board issued 32 financial audit reports which comprised 51 auditor’s opinions on the accounts of NATO bodies and associated organisations. 46 of these accounts received unqualified audit opinions, including three accounts that were corrected and reissued. The board issued three qualified audit opinions and two disclaimer of audit opinions on the financial statements of four entities, of which, all related to compliance with IPSAS.
	In 2008, the board issued 36 financial audit reports which comprised 46 auditor’s opinions on the accounts of NATO bodies and associated organisations. 40 of these accounts received unqualified audit opinions, including 10 accounts that were corrected and reissued to avoid qualification. The board issued six qualified audit opinions on the financial statements of six entities, of which, four related to compliance with IPSAS.
	In 2007, the board issued 30 auditor’s opinions on the accounts of NATO bodies and associated organisations. It issued 18 unqualified opinions and 11 qualified opinions, of which, six related to IPSAS. It did not issue an audit opinion on the accounts of one NATO agency.
	Qualified audit opinions are always a matter of concern, and we expect NATO commands and agencies to address the shortcomings as a matter of priority.

NATO

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what subjects the International Board of Auditors of NATO has produced performance reports or value for money appraisals in each of the last five years; when these reports will be published; what lessons have been learned; and what changes have been implemented by NATO in response to the findings of these reports.

David Lidington: In 2011 the IBAN issued five performance audit or special reports. These were on Objective Based Budgeting in NATO (Evaluation Phase); Assessing the Implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) within NATO and the Way Forward; the Reform of the Medium term Resource Plan Process; the status of the Implementation of the Internal Audit Function; and the Critical Success Factors for NATO Agencies Reform. While the UK has been pressing for greater transparency on audit reporting, it has not been possible to reach a consensus among Allies to publish these reports. The IBAN’s work has played an important part in the process of continuous improvement in NATO financial management.
	The IBAN conducted several performance audits and studies in 2010. It completed the performance audits on the Implementation of Objective Based Budgeting in NATO (Descriptive Phase) and Real Life Support at Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Board also completed two special reports to the Council: these were on (1) the Second and Third Years of Implementation of IPSAS within NATO and (2) on Strengthening the Role of IBAN in Respect of Management Reviews and Cost Efficiency Assessments.
	The Board undertook both performance audits and studies in 2009. It completed the performance audits on the Management of the NSIP and on the NATO Logistics for Deployed Operations. It also completed follow-up audits of the performance audit of the NATO Early Warning and control system and also on Allied Command Operations Financial Management. The Board finalised fieldwork for the performance audit of the Prevention of Corruption and Fraud in NATO.
	The Board undertook both performance audits and ad hoc studies in 2008. It completed the performance audits on the Customer Funding at the NC3A and on the NATO Logistics for Deployed Operations and issued a special report to the Council on the implementation of IPSAS within NATO.
	The Board undertook both performance audits and ad hoc studies in 2007. It finalised the Survey on Corporate Governance in the NATO agencies. It also carried out ad hoc studies to provide advice to the NATO Committees or to improve its own efficiency and working methods. Further details on the performance reports are available in the IBAN’s Annual Reports which can be found on the NATO website.

Official Secrets: EU Law

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely benefits to the UK of the EU exchanging classified information with the Swiss Confederation under the terms of EU Council Decision 2008/568/CFSP.

David Lidington: EU Council Decisions 2006/467/CFSP, 2006/317/CFSP and 2008/568/CFSP concern data sharing agreements between the EU and Iceland, Croatia and the Swiss Confederation, respectively. These Decisions establish rules for the sharing of sensitive information. An assessment of these Decisions was made by the then Government at the time of their adoption.
	The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 that have not been amended or replaced. These measures fall within the scope of that decision. Officials are undertaking a full analysis of all those measures, which will be reviewed carefully by Government.

Pakistan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the sentence given to Shakeel Afridi; what assessment he has made of its effect on human rights in Pakistan; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports that Dr Afridi has been found guilty of treason by a Tribal Court in Pakistan and sentenced to 33 years in prison. We understand that it remains possible for an appeal to be lodged against this conviction.
	Dr Afridi was sentenced under Pakistan's Frontier Crimes Regulation. There have been long standing human rights concerns over aspects of this legislation. We support the Pakistan Government in implementing the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) reforms, which President Zardari signed last year as a positive step towards addressing these concerns.

Palestinians

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of Palestinian trees destroyed in the Wadi Qana valley; and how many convictions there have been for the destruction of such trees.

Alistair Burt: We are aware that nine farmers in the village of Deir Istya in the west bank have received orders from the Israeli authorities to uproot 1,400 olive trees planted in private land which they farm within the Wadi Qana valley. We understand the Israeli military authorities have designated the area as a national reserve. We also note the particular sensitivities around olive trees given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers.
	We do not have any statistics on how many convictions there have been for the destruction of olive trees, but the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Aid report that 90% of all instances of settler violence, including damage to olive trees, are closed without indictment.
	The British embassy in Tel Aviv has raised our concerns over the destruction orders with the relevant Israeli authorities, in particular the office of the Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, as well as with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have emphasised that actions taken by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories must be in compliance with Israel's obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many publications have been issued by his Department since May 2010.

David Lidington: Many of our diplomatic posts overseas publish documents that are relevant to their work. The Foreign Commonwealth Office does not hold information about these publications centrally and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Central publications that are made available on our website can be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents

Sri Lanka

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of internally displaced persons in refugee camps in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The latest reports from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees indicate that there are 13,365 individuals in internally displaced persons camps around Sri Lanka:
	The total number of internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka is 127,322. Most are living with host families.

Sri Lanka

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on difficulties encountered by Sri Lankan businessmen securing visas to travel to the UK to do business.

Alistair Burt: The British high commission in Colombo receives visa applications from a wide range of our commercial contacts. While our objective is to encourage bilateral trade between the UK and Sri Lanka, we need also to ensure our borders are secure.
	We have received some reports of Sri Lankan businessmen encountering difficulties in securing visas to travel to the UK to do business. To reduce these, the British high commission, on 7 December 2011, launched the Business Express Programme (BEP) as a pilot scheme with 20 companies that have credible business links to the UK. The BEP processes visas for staff of these 20 Sri Lankan companies undertaking legitimate business travel to the UK within five working days as opposed to the standard 15 working days for first time travellers. The programme has a dedicated inquiry line that these companies can use for any questions.
	Following the launch, our UK Trade and Investment Team received a number of inquiries from other interested local companies wishing to join the scheme. The turnaround time for frequent business travellers to the UK who are not part of the BEP is often five working days.
	In addition, our UK Trade and Investment team receives frequent visa related inquiries from our extensive network of contacts. We reiterate the need to apply in advance with all necessary supporting documents.

Sudan: South Sudan

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts from other countries on the UN Security Council on efforts to seek a cessation of attacks on civilian populations and the ability to safely deliver humanitarian aid to displaced people in the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain regions between Sudan and South Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: We have consistently called on the Government of Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liberation Front-North to cease hostilities immediately, allow humanitarian access to all parts of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and enter into a political dialogue to resolve the causes of conflict. This has been the subject of discussion in the UN Security Council on a number of occasions, including under UK chairmanship in March 2012 when a presidential statement was adopted calling for full humanitarian access.
	UN Security Council resolution 2046, unanimously adopted on 2 May 2012 under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, requires the parties to the conflicts in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states to reach a negotiated settlement, and urges them to allow humanitarian access in accordance with a plan put forward jointly by the United Nations, Arab League and African Union. Under the resolution, the Council will receive regular reports on its implementation, and we will use these opportunities to continue to press with Security Council counterparts for action to end hostilities, in particular the unacceptable attacks on civilians.

Weapons

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will take steps to co-operate with other countries to develop a legal, humanitarian response to the threat posed to civilians by the development of machines that can autonomously attack humans and human occupied targets.

Henry Bellingham: The British Government will continue to comply with its obligations under the Geneva conventions and their additional protocols including their provisions covering the study, development, acquisition or adoption of new weapons, means or methods of warfare. The British Government, by its statements and actions, constantly reaffirms its commitment to uphold the Geneva conventions and its additional protocols and promotes their universal acceptance.

Weapons

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will give an undertaking to its international counterparts that it will not develop, acquire or deploy machines that can autonomously attack humans and human occupied targets.

Henry Bellingham: The British Government will continue to comply with its obligations under the Geneva conventions and their additional protocols including their provisions covering the study, development, acquisition or adoption of new weapons, means or methods of warfare. The British Government, by its statements and actions, constantly reaffirms its commitment to uphold the Geneva conventions and its additional protocols and promotes their universal acceptance.

Yemen

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation in Yemen; and what reports he has received about the presence of al-Qaeda in that country.

Alistair Burt: As I said in my written ministerial statement on 24 May 2012, Official Report, columns 91-92WS, the appalling terrorist attack in central Sana'a on 21 May underlines the security challenges and instability facing President Hadi and his Government as they seek to rebuild Yemen following last year's political upheavals.
	Our embassy in Sana'a and widespread media reports indicates that al-Qaeda are mainly located in Southern Yemen and remain a threat to Yemen, the region and the West. I am encouraged by President Hadi's commitment to continue the fight against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The British Government, along with our international partners, remains committed to supporting Yemen to become a stable state, free from the threat of terrorism.

Children: Maintenance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the Child Support Agency's cases with a positive liability for child maintenance used the Agency's collection service in the last 12 months.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the Child Support Agency’s cases with a positive liability for child maintenance used the Agency’s collection service in the last 12 months
	The following table shows the number of cases where maintenance is due, the number of cases that used the collection service (split by the number paying and not paying), and the number who do not use the collection service and have their own ‘Maintenance Direct’ arrangement between the non-resident parent and the parent with care.
	
		
			 Quarter Ending Maintenance Due Paying via the Collection Service % of cases paying via the Collection Service Using the Collection Service but not currently paying % of cases using the Collection Service but not currently paying Paying Maintenance Direct % of cases paying Maintenance Direct 
			 Jun 2011 862,100 493,900 57 192,700 22 175,400 20 
			 Sep 2011 872,000 502,000 58 193,700 22 176,300 20 
			 Dec 2011 876,300 505,100 58 192,500 22 178,700 20 
			 Mar 2012 872,900 514,100 59 177,100 20 181,700 21

Employers' Liability

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of employers' insurance arrangements are registered with the Employers' Liability Training Office.

Chris Grayling: The Employers' Liability Tracing Office is a public company limited by guarantee. They advise that 98% of the employers' liability market is registered with them and publishes details of their employer liability policies on their website.

Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what projections his Department has made of future economic activity rates for (a) men and (b) women in each age decile group.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not make projections of activity rates as figures are already published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for employment and support allowance have come to a final outcome inclusive of results of the appeals process; and how many of these outcomes were the same as the initial Atos decision at the work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest report was published in April 2012 and can be found on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Table 4 of the publication mentioned above shows that to date there were 1,116,800 initial functional assessments with an outcome, adjusted to account for outcomes after appeals. Please note that the Department only holds information on appeals once they have been heard by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Therefore the number above includes claims where the appeals process is still ongoing.
	Statistics that compare Atos recommendations with final outcomes adjusted to account for outcomes after appeals have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Employment Schemes

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of work being carried out through the Work Programme is being undertaken by charitable and voluntary organisations.

Chris Grayling: An exercise undertaken in March 2012 identified that 29.8% of initial referrals to the Work programme were to the voluntary and community sector.

Employment Schemes: West Midlands

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people from (a) the West Midlands, (b) Coventry and (c) Coventry North East constituency have been on the Work programme for more than one year.

Chris Grayling: The data requested are not available.
	Work programme was launched nationally on 1 June 2011. Once referred, claimants remain on the Work programme for two years or until they find sustained employment and the provider has claimed all available payments for the time the individual spends in employment (or it is deemed that Work Choice is better equipped to meet their needs).
	The latest official statistics on Work programme referrals and attachments up to the end of January 2012 were published on 9 May 2012 on the Department's website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp
	Official statistics on job outcomes and sustainment payments are expected to be available from autumn 2012.

Fraud

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of (a) procurement and (b) other fraud affecting his Department’s spending in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department treats any allegation of fraud by contractors very seriously. Any fraud is completely unacceptable. Where we identify, or are notified of, allegations of contractor fraud, these cases are investigated thoroughly by DWP’s professionally trained and experienced investigators to a standard required to support reference to the police whenever evidence of criminal offences is discovered.
	There are a range of departmental controls in place to minimise fraudulent activity in all dealings with suppliers. Potential suppliers’ staff are expected to preserve the highest standards of fairness, honesty, efficiency and professionalism. Robust governance arrangements during each procurement exercise, a system of delegated procurement authority with clear segregation of duties contribute significantly in helping to detect and deter potential procurement fraud. A commercial assurance team ensures compliance with all key policies and maintains a register of any potential conflicts of interest. There have been no recorded incidents of procurement fraud by DWP staff in 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	DWP has introduced a number of mandatory contractual terms and conditions aimed solely at preventing supplier fraud. These are mandatory within all of our contracts and oblige the suppliers to instigate a range of measures aimed at preventing fraud within their organisation. As well as being required, contractually, to adhere to the fraud prevention measures, these principles are reinforced in the DWP Supplier Charter—which is a set of principles that outline how DWP, and its suppliers, will work together to help DWP achieve its strategic objectives and support its values. There is no mechanism for formally estimating the value of fraud within the supply chain, e.g. fraud carried out by third-party suppliers, their employees or subcontractors.
	In 2010-11, there were four cases of false representation in contracted employment programmes, resulting in a total loss of £67,000, of which, £31,600 has so far been recovered. In 2011-12, there were four cases of false representation with a total loss of £59,000, of which, £21,400 has so far been recovered. Recovery action is ongoing. These eight cases occurred under new deal, European social fund and Workstep contracts established by the previous Government. The recently published NAO report, “Preventing fraud in contracted employment programmes”, notes that the value of losses due to false representation in contracted employment provision recorded since 2006 is equivalent to an average of £128,906 per year, which is around 0.01% of total spending on employment programmes.
	Estimates of the level of fraudulent benefit claims are provided within “Fraud and Error in the Benefit System: Preliminary 2011/12 Estimates” and “Fraud and Error in the Benefit System: 2010/11 Estimates”.
	These national statistics are published and available on the Department’s website at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/index.php?page=fraud_error

Income Support

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit recipients were (i) in receipt and (ii) not in receipt of income support in each of the last 30 years.

Maria Miller: The information as requested is not available prior to November 2008. Such information we do have is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Housing benefit (HB) recipients, Great Britain, November 2008 to February 2012 
			 Number 
			  Total HB caseload Of which are in receipt of income support Of which are not in receipt of income support 
			 November 2008 4,171,940 1,516,930 2,655,010 
			 February 2009 4,301,790 1,505,510 2,796,280 
			 February 2010 4,700,160 1,446,420 3,253,740 
			 February 2011 4,865,400 1,337,890 3,527,510 
			 February 2012 5,004,500 1,175,200 3,829,300 
		
	
	
		
			 Council tax benefit (CTB) recipients, Great Britain, November 2008 to February 2012 
			 Number 
			  Total CTB caseload Of which are in receipt of income support Of which are not in receipt of income support 
			 November 2008 5,149,390 1,571,740 3,577,650 
			 February 2009 5,305,980 1,559,660 3,746,320 
			 February 2010 5,727,140 1,492,760 4,234,380 
			 February 2011 5,854,110 1,374,530 4,479,580 
			 February 2012 5,919,550 1,199,680 4,719,870 
			 Notes: 1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 2. Components may not sum to total due to rounding. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 4. Data for those HB/CTB recipients with income support are not available prior to the introduction of SHBE. Data from November 2008 onwards are derived from the new SHBE extract which is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems, whereas earlier years are derived from quarterly aggregate clerical returns. Figures from the two sources may not be directly comparable; the introduction of SHBE has improved the accuracy of HB/CTB statistics as it is based on individual claimant records rather than summary statistics, has a higher completion rate from local authorities leading to less estimation of missing data, and is subject to more thorough quality assurance 5. Figures are derived from published data at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb 6. Figures prior to November 2008 are published at the link below however income support recipients are not separately identifiable as they are combined with pension credit recipients. http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/index.php?page=hbctb_arc Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Jobcentre Plus: Hearing Impairment

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure that people who are deaf or hearing impaired can communicate with Jobcentre Plus offices.

Maria Miller: The Department, through Jobcentre Plus, recognises its responsibilities to make reasonable adjustments for those of its clients for whom the standard telephony channel is not suitable. It is also recognised that people sometimes need to contact Jobcentre Plus urgently, for example to rearrange appointments.
	To help ensure deaf and hearing impaired people have full access to its services the Department has taken a number of steps.
	Hearing loops are available in offices and textphones are offered as an alternative to telephones; textphone numbers are advertised on relevant websites and included in communication materials. DWP introduced Texbox in late 2009 to improve access to textphone services; this desktop application enables staff to answer textphone calls more effectively using their PCs.
	The Department uses a framework of suppliers to provide a range of communication methods, including British Sign Language; lip speakers; sign language communicators and note takers. Jobcentres can arrange for these communicators to be available in offices to support deaf and hearing impaired clients at interviews.
	DWP can also communicate with people via email if this is needed as a reasonable adjustment relating to a disability.

Jobcentre Plus: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed in Jobcentre Plus in Wales on temporary contracts.

Chris Grayling: I can confirm that at 30 April 2012, there are no employees in Wales on a temporary contract.
	In answering your question the following points need to be noted:
	From April 2012 Jobcentre Plus ceased to exist for reporting purposes.
	I have checked our new reporting structures against the work previously carried out within Jobcentre Plus to provide a ‘best fit’ answer to your request.
	We work to ONS definitions for reporting purposes. The definition of ‘temporary contract’ is an employee with a contract lasting or expected to last 12 months or less.

Jobcentre Plus: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who worked at Jobcentre Plus in Wales between 2009 and 2012 on temporary contracts are no longer employed at Jobcentre Plus.

Chris Grayling: Please see table which answers your question but please note the following points:
	We work to ONS definitions for reporting purposes. The definition of 'temporary contract' is an employee with a contract lasting or expected to last 12 months or less.
	Fiscal years have been used to provide the most recent information.
	Information is provided for both headcount and full time equivalent (FTE) totals.
	At March 2010 we had 114 temporary staff leave the Department. By April 2012 there were no staff within Jobcentre Plus in Wales on a temporary contract. Please see response today to PQ 109653.
	
		
			 JCP temporary leavers 
			  Headcount FTE 
			 April 2009 to March 2010 114 107.33 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 82 82 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 0 0

Jobseeker's Allowance: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Selly Oak constituency have been placed on sanctions in the last year.

Chris Grayling: Statistics on how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Selly Oak constituency that have been placed on sanctions in the last year have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the observation in the University of the West of England / SPAN Longitudinal qualitative study of the journeys of single parents on jobseeker’s allowance, published in May 2012, that meeting a different adviser on each visit is unsatisfactory and of the recommendation in that study that his Department should reinstate the role of lone parent advisors.

Chris Grayling: We are committed to ensuring all lone parents have the support they need to find work quickly.
	At the outset of the claim to JSA, everyone sees a personal adviser to discuss and agree a jobsearch plan and the support needed from their personal adviser. Since April 2011, personal adviser support beyond the new claims stage is delivered through flexible interventions tailored to individual need and delivered by the same person wherever possible. As part of this and over and above the flexible interventions agreed at the outset of the claim, claimants can ask to see their personal adviser at any time.
	All personal advisers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to support the diverse needs of individual claimants, including lone parents with caring responsibilities.
	In addition to the agreed flexible interventions provided by a personal adviser, claimants are usually required to attend fortnightly jobsearch reviews undertaken by assistant advisers. These relatively short contacts provide regular opportunities to monitor progress and to provide feedback to personal advisers, particularly where additional help is needed. As the report acknowledges, claimants do not always see the same person each time they attend a jobsearch review, but they do see someone from the same team who has undergone the same training route way. Where additional help is required, the claimant is referred to their personal adviser.
	In view of the above, I have no plans to reinstate bespoke lone-parent advisers.

Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent employees have (a) left and (b) been recruited to his Department in the last two years.

Chris Grayling: The number of full-time equivalent employees who have (a) left and (b) been recruited to the Department in the last two years is shown in the following table.
	The Government introduced a recruitment freeze across all civil service and their non-departmental bodies from 24 May 2010. Frontline and business critical posts and the civil service fast stream are exempt from the recruitment freeze; however specific departmental approval is required for posts recruited under these exemptions.
	The recruitment figures shown include recruitment authorised under exemptions to the freeze and where legally binding job offers had been made prior to the freeze commencing.
	
		
			 Department and its agencies Permanent Fixed term appointment Temporary (1) Total 
			 Leavers     
			 2010-11 3,909 6,412 454 10,775 
			 2011-12 4,869 4,432 135 9,436 
			      
			 Recruitment     
			 2010-11 134 267 156 557 
			 2011-12 44 321 127 492 
			 (1) Temporary staff are staff on the departmental payroll who have been hired on short-term casual contracts.

Manpower

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff (a) his Department and (b) its agencies employs in each parliamentary constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information has been placed in the Library. The figures refer to the ministerial department—the executive agencies: Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service ceased to have legal status from October 2011.

Meetings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what dates (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) senior officials in his Department have met representatives of (i) the Institute for Public Policy Research, (ii) the Taxpayers’ Alliance, (iii) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (iv) the Child Poverty Action Group, (v) ResPublica, (vi) the Centre for Social Justice and (vii) Policy Exchange; and if he will publish the minutes and agendas of these meetings.

Chris Grayling: The information you have requested can be found via the following link to the Department’s website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/corporate-publications/ministers-meetings-overseas.shtml
	The information for the period 1 October 2011 to 31 December 2011 and 1 January 2012 to 31 March 2012 is currently being collated and will be published in due course.

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for the level of the number of black and minority ethnic people that have accessed the new enterprise allowance.

Chris Grayling: It is too early to make an informed assessment of reasons behind the percentage of ethnic minority people who have taken up the new enterprise allowance (NEA). We will continue to monitor and evaluate NEA performance and the level of its take up by ethnic minority groups.

Pensioners: Income

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average single pensioner income was for the poorest 10 per cent of (a) male and (b) female pensioners in today's prices in (i) 1982, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2012.

Steve Webb: The following table provides the median single pensioner income for the poorest 10% of (a) male and (b) female pensioners in 2009-10 prices for the periods (ii) 1997-2000 and (iii) 2007-10.
	The figures are presented as three-year averages. This is because deciles are relatively small groups and results may be volatile from one year to the next. These figures are therefore not directly comparable to single year estimates.
	Information is not available for 1982 and at present our most recent data are 2009-10 so cannot provide an estimate for 2012.
	
		
			 Median net income for the bottom decile of the income distribution , 2009-10 prices 
			  £ per week 
			 Single men  
			 Net income before housing costs  
			 1997-2000 89 
			 2007-10 107 
			 Net income after housing costs  
			 1997-2000 61 
			 2007-10 80 
			   
			 Single women  
			 Net income before housing costs  
			 1997-2000 82 
			 2007-10 93 
			 Net income after housing costs  
			 1997-2000 55 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-10 67 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Pensioners' Income Series (PI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The reference period is the financial year. 2. The figures are presented as three-year averages. This is because deciles are relatively small groups and results may be volatile from one year to the next. These figures are therefore not directly comparable to single year estimates. 3. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 4. Figures have been presented on a before housing cost and an after housing cost basis. For before housing costs, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, buildings insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing costs they are. 5. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 6. Weekly incomes have been rounded to the nearest £. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 7. Figures are for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom from 2002-03. 8. Unequivalised income is presented, i.e. it is not adjusted to take account of household size and composition. 9. When looking at income statistics, the median is typically used instead of the mean income because the mean can be affected by outlying cases with very high income values. 10. It was announced in May that the 2009-10 results will be revised when the 2010-11 results are released in July. See the DWP PI website for further information. Source: Pensioners' Incomes Series 2009-10.

Personal Independence Payment

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the assessment criteria for the personal independence payment will take into consideration the additional costs incurred by visually impaired people.

Maria Miller: Like disability living allowance (DLA), personal independence payment (PIP) is intended to contribute to the additional costs that disabled people face to live independently. However, we do not think it would be feasible to measure the actual costs that disabled people incur. Such an approach would be subjective, inconsistent and expensive to deliver.
	We want priority in the benefit to go to those people who face the greatest barriers to living an independent life and who are likely to have the most need and extra costs. As such the assessment for the benefit will focus on the extent to which an individual's health condition or impairment affects their day to day life, by assessing ability to carry out key everyday activities. Entitlement will not be based on the nature of the health condition itself.
	The work to develop the assessment is still ongoing and the criteria have not yet been finalised. On 30 April we completed a 15 week formal consultation, to hear views on our proposals from disabled people and their organisations and to ensure that we get them right. We are now in the process of carefully considering all of the responses we have received, along with feedback from stakeholder meetings held during the consultation period, as we evaluate what changes need to be made to the criteria.
	We intend to publish a response to the consultation alongside a revised draft of the assessment criteria later in the year, once our considerations are complete.

Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of payments made by his Department to small and medium-sized enterprises have been paid late since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: DWP are currently unable to categorise payments made by supplier type including Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) as these data are not captured on our Accounts payable system. We are working with the Government Procurement Service to agree reliable data source that can categorise suppliers. Therefore, we are unable to provide specific details of the proportion of late payments made to SMEs.
	We can provide the following details for our Prompt Payment Performance targets which show that regardless of size, all payments are within Treasury parameters.
	Five Day Performance Target—84.6%
	10 Day Performance Target—98.15%
	30 Day Performance Target—99.5%

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new public sector mutuals were created or spun-off by his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: This Department has not created or spun-off any sector mutuals in the periods mentioned.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people (a) claimed only the state retirement pension, (b) were over 60 and receiving the state retirement pension and income support, (c) were over retirement age and drew only income support, (d) were over 60 and received housing benefit only and (e) received each of these benefits plus housing benefit in each of the last 30 years.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information regarding the number of people who receive certain benefits, including the state pension and pension credit, is included in published statistics available on the Department's website:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
	Information regarding the number of housing benefit recipients is included in published national statistics also available on the Department's website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb
	The following link shows benefit combinations by statistical group in November 2011; for example the number of people in receipt of both the state pension (SP) and pension credit (PC):
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/pa/comb/cnage/a_carate_r_comb_c_cnage_nov11_html

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were given benefit penalties in each of the last 30 years; and for what reasons.

Chris Grayling: Statistics on the numbers of individuals who received conditionality related benefit sanctions in each of the last 30 years have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.
	Statistics on the numbers of jobseeker's allowance conditionality related sanctions since 2000 are published on the Department's website:
	http://83.244.183.180/sanction/sanction/LIVE/tabtool.html
	Statistics on the numbers of income support lone parent conditionality related sanctions since 2004 are published on the Department's website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/is/lone_parent_regime/index.php?page=lone_parent_regime
	Statistics on the numbers of ESA conditionality related sanctions since 2008 are published on the Department's website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_sanc

Social Security Benefits: Internet

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the percentage of benefits claimants with access to the internet in their homes.

Chris Grayling: DWP is working to develop data on home internet access that includes all access channels, however we do not currently hold this information.

Social Security Benefits: Rotherham

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of disability-related welfare benefits in Rotherham will become ineligible for such benefits under his proposals for welfare reform.

Maria Miller: Personal independence payment will replace disability living allowance for disabled people of working age from April 2013. It is being designed to ensure that those who face the greatest barriers to living an independent life will be in receipt of the right level of support that recognises the individual’s needs. Therefore entitlement to personal independence payment will be based on the extent to which an individual’s health condition or impairment affects their day to day life, not on the nature of the health condition itself.
	The impact assessment published in January estimates the number of 16 to 64-year-olds in receipt of PIP to be 1.7 million by March 2016. Without reform, 2.2 million 16 to 64-year-olds were forecast to be receiving disability living allowance at that time.
	However, it is not possible to break this impact down to smaller geographic locations.

Unemployed People: Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the annual cost is to (a) train operating companies and (b) his Department of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card; and what the cost is of providing each card.

Chris Grayling: We do not hold information of the annual cost to the train operating companies. Each participating member of the Association of Train Operating Companies absorbs the 50% subsidy from their own revenue and this amount varies upon the number of tickets issued against an operating company.
	In terms of an annual cost to the Department, this cannot be quantified as we do not collate information about the total number of cards issued and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department does not subsidise the operating companies and no work measurement exercise has been undertaken on the administrative cost of providing each card, so this information is unavailable.
	The annual cost of maintaining a supply of cards and forms to issue the cards is £20,000.

Unemployed People: Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) discounts are available on and (b) restrictions apply to the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card for rail travel.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card holders get 50% discount on selected fares on train services covered by the Association of Train Operating Companies in England and Wales; and by train operating companies in Scotland. It can also be used to obtain similar discounts on the London underground, the docklands light railway and other rail services where agreed locally.
	In terms of restrictions on rail travel, the discount cannot be used on any first class service, and on specific train services such as the Caledonian sleeper and Eurostar services. Discount tickets are subject to the standard National Rail Conditions of Carriage and are not transferable.

Unemployment: Young People

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an estimate of the level of long-term youth unemployment in Coventry; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce long-term youth unemployment.

Chris Grayling: In April 2012 there were 395 18 to 24-year-olds in Coventry claiming jobseeker's allowance for 12 months or more. Recent figures have been affected by a change in policy that means young people on government-funded programmes continue to receive financial support through JSA rather than being moved to a training allowance.
	Jobcentre Plus personal advisers offer a comprehensive menu of help that includes jobsearch support and skills provision. Advisers have the flexibility to tailor support to the individual at the most appropriate point in their claim. Get Britain Working measures offer additional support, including Work Clubs, Work Experience, New Enterprise Allowance, Enterprise Clubs and sector-based work academies.
	The Work programme provides tailored support to those furthest from the labour market. Young claimants are referred to a provider after nine months and those with more challenging barriers to work can be referred at three months. Providers are paid on he results they achieve, and are paid more for supporting the harder to help into work.
	The Government recently announced a new Youth Contract, worth around £1 billion, which is designed to prevent a new generation of young people falling into the trap of long-term unemployment. This will provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people—including wage incentives, incentives to take on apprentices, and extra work experience placements. Extra funding is being made available to support the most vulnerable 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training into learning, an apprenticeship or job with training.

Universal Credit

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who will be responsible for financing redundancy payments to local authority employees whose contracts are terminated as a consequence of administrative changes associated with the introduction of universal credit; and for what reasons this responsibility was assigned to them.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions is working with local authorities to understand the full implications of the transfer of housing benefit administration to universal credit. The specific implications this has for LA staff cannot be fully understood until the design of the universal credit service is finalised, along with that of the wider welfare reform changes, including the localisation of council tax support and elements of the Social Fund. DWP has every intention of complying with the spirit of the New Burdens doctrine and will not seek to impose any undue burdens on local taxpayers.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether TUPE will apply to staff currently employed by HM Revenue and Customs to administer tax credits who transfer to his Department on introduction of universal credit.

Chris Grayling: TUPE cannot apply when staff transfer from one Government Department to another as the staff are, and remain, civil servants throughout and there is no change in employer. However, in line with the intent to use the best operational units in DWP and HMRC for UC service centre delivery, we will seek to move some of the tax credit staff from HM Revenue and Customs into DWP using Cabinet Office protocol for managing change within the civil service.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department plans to spend on IT development and implementation for universal credit in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Chris Grayling: Based on current plans the Department is expecting to spend the following amounts on IT, development and implementation for universal credit:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 (a) 2013-14 401 
			 (b) 2014-15 317

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 668W, on work capability assessments, what information his Department holds on the back-to-work prognosis of claimants who have been assessed under the work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: The Department holds information on Atos' recommendations for prognosis periods for standard prognosis periods of three, six, 12, 18 months, not for two years, not in the longer term, terminally ill and unknown. These are recommendations only and the final decision on prognosis periods rests solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
	The Department's computer systems track the decision makers' decisions on prognosis periods. This information, however, is not extracted from the computer systems and therefore this information is not included in management information or administrative datasets.

Aerospace Industry

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent steps his Department has taken to stimulate growth in the UK aerospace manufacturing and support sectors and their supply chains;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with representatives of the UK aerospace industry on investment and skills development in Britain.

Mark Prisk: The Government have a continuous and wide-ranging dialogue with representatives of the UK aerospace industry. A major part of that dialogue is through Aerospace Business Leaders group (chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Aerospace Growth Partnership group (which I chair), which bring Government and business together to take action to stimulate growth, boost exports and grow the number of highly skilled jobs available in the UK. Detailed work is underway through these groups involving around 80 senior business people and BIS officials.
	The process is being supported by industry, which has made available eight full time secondees. It is addressing issues of strategic importance to the future competitiveness of the sector including investment in technology, skills, supply chain competitiveness, manufacturing capability and external engagement. As part of this work, we recently announced £60 million of new funding to create a UK virtual centre for aerodynamics.
	To assist the retention of engineering skills, in late 2010, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), appointed Allan Cook to set up a Skills and Job Retention Group. This led to the creation of the Talent Retention Solution system, in mid-2012, through which engineers made surplus by one company can be quickly redeployed into employment elsewhere across the advanced manufacturing sector. In addition, we are working closely with SEMTA (the Sector Skills Council) and ADS (the national trade association for aerospace) on a wide range of skills issues to stimulate investment and assist growth across the whole aerospace supply chain. As part of this activity, BIS is a sponsor of Futures Day at the Farnborough International Air Show on 13 July which will host 10,000 young people to showcase the growing aerospace sector and the exciting careers opportunities it offers.
	Aerospace companies are also expected to benefit from other more general support provided by the Department. For instance, up to £125 million has been made available through the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative.

Conditions of Employment

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 849, on employment law (Beecroft Report), if he will place in the Library (a) a copy of the agreement to which his referred between the Government and the European Commission that small businesses will now be exempted from European legislation as a point of principle unless the Commission can show that they should not be and (b) copies of any such legislation that has already been exempted; whether such exemptions apply from a certain date, and if so, when; and whether such exemptions include repeal of existing legislation.

Mark Prisk: The European Commission’s commitments are set out in its 23 November 2011 report: “Minimizing regulatory burden for SMEs: Adapting EU regulation to the needs of micro-enterprises” COM(2011)803. This was deposited in the House on 8 December 2011 and an explanatory memorandum was later submitted. The Commission commits in its report to propose exemptions for micro-businesses or lighter regimes for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in legislation prepared from 1 January 2012. Its report provides information at annex 1 on EU legislation that already offers lighter regimes to SMEs. Since the Commission’s report, directive 2012/6/EU amending Council Directive 78/660/EEC on the annual accounts of certain types of companies as regards micro-entities was adopted on 14 March, and could benefit around 1.4 million UK small businesses by simplifying financial reporting requirements. In addition, a provisional agreement has now been reached between the European Parliament and Council of Ministers on a new directive to replace directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), following the European Parliament’s Second Reading on 19 January 2012. 18 months after publication in the Official Journal, a provision will exempt retailers with a selling area of less than 400m(2) from the requirement to take back electrical waste in store at no charge to the consumer and with no obligation being placed on the consumer to buy replacement equipment. Copies of both texts have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on external consultants, including management consultants, in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: The total spend by BIS on external consultants, including management consultants is:
	
		
			  £ 
			 (a) 2010-11 7,530,918 
			 (b) 2011-12 11,403,711 
		
	
	As is usual practice in the private and public sector, occasionally the Department requires independent advice on a particular issue which we are unable to provide in house due in main to experience within the required field of expertise. As with all Government spending, officials have to make sure that any future spend of taxpayers money displays best possible value for money and return on investment.
	BIS acknowledges the increase in the consultancy spend between 2010/11 and 2011/12 but this is managed and monitored in accordance with the tight constraints laid down by the Cabinet Office in its published spending controls. Each freeze exemption consultancy case is approved by a board of senior management, delegated by the Permanent Secretary, to ensure appropriate spend and controls are in place.

Consultants

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 26 April 2012, Official Report, column 1009W, on consultants, what payments were made to (a) Activa Consulting, (b) Deloitte, (c) Impact Plus, (d) PA Consulting, (e) Fujitsu, (f) Oracle, (g) Gartner and (h) PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 21 May 2012
	Payments were made to the following consultancies in the period between 2006 and 2011 as follows. Payments to Fujitsu and Oracle included the purchase cost of the IT hardware and software together with implementation costs.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Activa Consulting 0.2 
			 Deloitte 0.4 
			 Impact Plus 8.7 
			 PA Consulting 0.5 
			 Fujitsu 31.9 
			 Oracle 20.0 
			 Gartner 0.1 
		
	
	In addition, as part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills internal
	audit provision, PricewaterhouseCoopers undertook some work to identify the challenges in respect of the shared service centre (SSC) achieving full stability and the SSC’s readiness for expansion.

Newspaper Press: Retail Trade

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of trends in the size of the independent retail newsagent sector in the last five years; and what steps he plans to take to address the causes of newsagent closures.

Mark Prisk: Since 2009 the Office for National Statistics has tracked the number of newsagents' local units by sizeband, including large chains (since these are local units each branch is counted separately).
	
		
			 Number of enterprises by employment band by 4762 
			 Class 
			  Employment size 
			  0-4 5-9 10-19 20-49 50-99 100-249 250+ Total 
			 2011 3,845 2,125 1,055 230 15 5 0 7,275 
			 2010 3,840 2,110 910 240 15 5 0 7,120 
			 2009 3,810 2,175 835 280 20 5 0 7,125 
			 Source: Business location, size and activity (ONS) 
		
	
	The Government is actively working to help all retailers. Retail is vitally important to local and national economies. This was why it was chosen to be one of the first sectors to be the subject of a Growth Review and was the first sector selected for the Red Tape Challenge. These initiatives identified a number of barriers to successful retail performance and growth, which the Government is working to address.
	Through the Growth Review the Government has committed to extending Small Business Rate Relief and announced that 160 regulations impacting on retailers or their customers will be scrapped or simplified. We are also conducting a review of employment law.
	In March, the Government's formal response to the recommendations made by Mary Portas in her report, 'An Independent Review into the Future of our High Streets', was published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
	The report contained 28 recommendations, raising a number of important issues affecting today's high streets and provided some useful and interesting ways in which Government, local authorities, business and the public can begin to address them.
	DCLG took immediate action in implementing some of the recommendations, including on high street pilots. On 26 May Government announced the first 12 successful winners of the competition, which will receive a slice of the £1.2 million. The first 12 Portas Pilots are Bedford, Croydon, Dartford, Bedminster, Liskeard, Margate, Market Rasen, Nelson, Newbiggin by the Sea, Stockport, Stockton on Tees, Wolverhampton.
	The response to the competition was phenomenal, with 371 towns putting in bids. We have been keen to capitalise on the excitement that the competition has generated and, given the high quality of bids, have decided to launch a second round of the competition, which will see a further 15 town centres selected to be Portas Pilots by the end of July. The Greater London Authority has agreed to fund three of these in London. The deadline for applications to round 2 is 30 June.
	Retailers are also able to benefit from the same range of support offered by BIS to help small and medium-sized businesses to start and thrive through:
	Improved access to finance.
	A more positive business environment which supports growth and ease of starting a business, and where new businesses and economic opportunities are more evenly shared between regions and industries.
	A major programme to reform the way that people running a business get the information, guidance and support they need to start and grow a business.
	Building a more entrepreneurial culture, equipping people with the skills and ambition to start a business.

Postage Stamps: Prices

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to small and medium-sized businesses resulting from the recent rise in stamp prices.

Norman Lamb: Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom, as an independent regulator, the primary duty of securing the universal postal service. The Act also set out minimum requirements for a universal postal service and this included a service at affordable prices in accordance with a uniform public tariff. It is therefore Ofcom's responsibility to monitor and assess the effect of postal price increases on consumers, which includes small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
	Following consultation, Ofcom decided to remove traditional price controls on Royal Mail's postal prices and imposed a safeguard cap on second class letters to ensure that a basic universal service remained available and affordable. Given the importance of ensuring that universal services remain affordable over time, Ofcom will closely monitor the effect of future prices on consumers, which Ofcom acknowledged includes small businesses. More information about Ofcom's assessment of affordability can be found in its decision paper “Securing the Universal Postal Service—Decision on the new regulatory framework” which can be accessed on its website
	www.ofcom.org.uk
	The Government welcomed Ofcom's decision and the safeguards they put in place to monitor Royal Mail. I, as the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, am satisfied that Ofcom made their decision taking into account the effect on SMEs and that further assessment by Government is not necessary.

Regional Growth Fund: Housing

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many successful bids to the Regional Growth Fund contained a house-building component; how many of those bids have received their funding; and how many are under review by the Minister for Housing.

Mark Prisk: Four successful bids to the Regional Growth Fund contained a significant house building component: two from Round land two from Round 2. The offer letter for one project has been finalised, and the beneficiary can draw down funding as they need it. Two offers are with the beneficiaries for review and due-diligence. One offer is under review by the Minister for Housing due to the amount of demolition involved in the project (the original bid was to support house building on cleared sites).

Skilled Workers: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to improve manufacturing and research skill levels in the west midlands since 2010.

David Willetts: The Government is increasing manufacturing and research skills in the west midlands through programmes such as the regional growth fund (RGF) and the grant for business investment (GBI) providing funding to a number of firms undertaking major investments in the region, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Ceram and Zytek. These will involve extensive training programmes. Round 3 of the RGF is now open for applications.
	Core cities, including Birmingham, have received up to £500,000 from the city skills fund to boost the provision of skills needed by local employers. The Government is also challenging cities to develop apprenticeship city hubs which will help local businesses, particularly small businesses, to take on apprentices.
	A network of seven world-leading Catapult centres have now been announced, aiming to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in specific technology areas.
	The first Catapult in High Value Manufacturing opened for business in October 2011 and will receive over £140 million over a six-year period. This centre will take a cross-sectoral approach and support all forms of manufacture using metals and composites, process manufacturing technologies and bio-processing. The High Value Manufacturing Catapult comprises seven centres, including two in the west midlands—the Warwick Manufacturing Group and the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry—and will make a long-term contribution to UK growth.
	The Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) supports investment in improved skills and training support as well as in research and development and capital equipment. Stream 1 of AMSCI is a national scheme available to all advanced manufacturing sectors across England. Stream 2 funding is available to automotive and aerospace suppliers in four LEP areas which include much of the industrial heartland of the west midlands.
	The new Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) provides a range of specialist assistance to manufacturing businesses across England, including linking SMEs with the Apprenticeship programme delivering a minimum of 1,250 engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships annually. As one of the UK’s main manufacturing regions, the west midlands is expected to be a major beneficiary of the new MAS.

Students: Finance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Answer of 16 April 2012, Official Report, column 294W, on students: finance, 
	(1)  on what basis he estimates the funding required for the student loans of those enrolled on designated higher education course where there is no limit on (a) student numbers and (b) the number of courses designated;
	(2)  whether his Department has set a number of enrolments at which it would cease to fund student loans for those enrolled on higher education courses;
	(3)  what meetings he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss student loan funding for off-quota student places enrolled on designated higher education courses;
	(4)  on what basis his Department budgets for expenditure on student loans where the number of student places on designated courses is not limited.

David Willetts: Expenditure on courses not subject to student number controls will account for around 1% of the student support budgets in 2011/12.
	We will manage any additional financial pressures (over and above our cash outlay estimates for student support), including those arising from such courses as and when they arise from within existing departmental budgets.
	I have not had any conversations with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about providing specific funding for these students.

Students: Finance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on promoting the student support scheme to (a) mature and (b) younger applicants.

David Willetts: An information campaign about the reforms to higher education (HE) student finance ran from May 2011 to February 2012 and cost £2.61 million. Messaging to mature applicants was a feature of the campaign, but it is not possible to disaggregate this activity as a portion of the total spend.
	Campaign targeting was appropriate for both mature and younger applicants. For example the radio advertising featured slots for both audiences, in particular drive-time for mature listeners; the Student Finance Tour targeted mature students studying in further education colleges as well as young people in schools; and the campaign website had a section specifically for those considering part-time HE courses, many of whom would be mature students.
	For 2012, we are repeating the Student Finance Tour which will target mature and young people who intend to apply for 2013/14. It will also reach out this year to other 15-18 year olds who will be applying in future years.
	BIS has also set up a stakeholder reference group comprised of key representatives from organisations with an interest in part-time students. This group was formed specifically to seek advice and input on tailoring communications for prospective mature part-time students in particular. Working with the group, we have revised and reissued existing part-time communication materials and produced new materials which best reflect mature and part-time students as a target audience.
	We continue to work with the HE sector to ensure the messages to mature students about student finance are disseminated as widely as possible.

Students: Loans

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of full-time undergraduate students take out maintenance loans in England; and what the (a) minimum value, (b) maximum value and (c) average value was of such loans in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: On average, students domiciled in England took out an income-contingent maintenance loan of £3,630 in the 2010/11 academic year compared to £3,600 in 2009/10. This is an average based on eligible students who were paid a maintenance loan. Some 855,300 (or 82%) of students who were eligible for a maintenance loan did so in the academic year 2009/10, the latest year for which estimates are available.
	Maintenance loans only form part of the total maintenance support available—students can also apply for means tested, non-repayable maintenance grants. For students who began courses in the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 academic years, 28% of the maximum amount of maintenance loan available is dependent on a means test—the remaining 72% is not.

Supermarkets: Prices

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the findings of the report by Which? on multibuy supermarket offers; and whether he is planning to take any steps to increase consumer protection in relation to such offers.

Norman Lamb: The Department is currently considering the briefing provided by Which?, including whether there is a need to amend the Department's Pricing Practices Guide in respect of supermarket multi-buy offers. The Government has no plans to change the regulation of price indications under which it is already a criminal offence to mislead consumers as to the price of goods and services, including as to the existence of any price advantage.

Agriculture: Business

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage growth and competitiveness in rural farms and businesses in Devon.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA works across Government ensuring measures designed to support economic growth are having proportionate and positive impacts in rural areas.
	On 29 November 2011, the Government announced a strong package of new measures, designed to stimulate sustainable growth in the rural economy and to help businesses reach their full potential. The results of this include the establishment of five Rural Growth Networks in 2012-13 (including one in Devon and Somerset) and the targeting of £100 million of Rural Development Programme for England funding at meeting Rural Economy Growth Review priorities.
	Broadband connectivity is also vital for economic prosperity and the Government has invested £530 million to support the roll out of broadband across all rural areas. Through the £20 million Rural Community Broadband Fund, the Government is also providing grant support to enable communities (including businesses) to access superfast broadband in hard to reach locations.
	£150 million is also being invested in the UK to improve mobile phone coverage.

Agriculture: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department has provided for farming schemes in the (a) Lune Valley and (b) Lancaster area in the last 12 months.

James Paice: The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) socio-economic investment programme (2007 to 2013) offers a range of nationally available products to protect and promote the agricultural industry across England although we are not able to provide detail at constituency level. However, the programme is tailored to the priorities identified in the Rural Economy Growth Review and includes;
	Up to £20 million for the Farm and Forestry Improvement Scheme—providing small grants of between £2,500 and £25,000 to enable the development of farm, forestry, and horticulture businesses. To date 17 of these have been from Lancashire. With a further 42 grants offered prior to the launch of this scheme to support livestock farmers in the area.
	Up to £60 million for the Rural Economy Grant—providing large grants of over £25,000 up to circa £1 million (no set upper cap) to enable the transformational change in the economic performance of farm, forestry, tourism, and agri-food businesses.
	Up to £20 million for a Skills and Knowledge Transfer programme—training providers are currently being procured, with the programme due to commence in the autumn 2012.
	The Local Action Group in this area has also invested over £37,000 in a local farm business at Conder Green. Lancaster for equipment to expand ‘on farm’ milk bottling and egg production.
	In total over 60 RDPE grants in and around the constituency area of North and Pennine Lancashire in the last 12 months, totalling over £263,600 of investment.
	Details of EU Common Agricultural Policy payments to all legal persons (i.e. not including natural persons); can be found on the CAP beneficiaries website at:
	http://cap-payments.defra.gov.uk/
	Funding has also been made available under the Environmental Stewardship Scheme but detailed information is not available for either area.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers in stewardship schemes will be exempted from implementing additional environmental measures in return for payments under the common agricultural policy scheme.

James Paice: One of our stated principles for greening and CAP Reform is that there must be recognition of the efforts of those farmers who have already committed to environmental measures under Pillar 2.
	In the Pillar 1 context we have discussed the possibility that farmers in agri-environment schemes could be exempt from any greening requirement. But this is only one of a number of options under discussion and agreement remains some way off. At the last Agriculture Council the Commission floated the possibility that agri-environment schemes and other certified schemes could, under certain circumstances, be considered as fulfilling one or several of the greening measures.
	We welcome this initiative from the Commission as the basis of further discussion. However, if we are to make the cost effective use of Pillar 2 resources to pay for a range of rural development measures it is important we do not pay twice for those costs and activities already paid for in Pillar 1. All qualifying schemes should also be of sufficient environmental merit.

Air Pollution

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps her Department takes against local authorities which do not meet EU limits for levels of harmful pollutants in their areas;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to ensure local authorities take an active role in reducing the level of harmful pollutants.

Richard Benyon: The responsibility to meet EU limit values rests with the Secretary of State rather than directly with local authorities. Under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995, local authorities have a duty to review local air quality against national objectives for air pollutants, as set out in the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2000. Where these objectives are not met, the local authority must declare an air quality management area and prepare an action plan in pursuit of the standards and objectives in the area using any powers available to it. These measures will also support the achievement of EU limit values. The Secretary of State is a statutory consultee to these action plans and any reports or assessments prepared in accordance with these duties.
	The Government works with local authorities to ensure they prioritise local air quality matters and carry out their statutory duties fully. The Secretary of State provides guidance on the assessment of local air quality, the preparation of air quality action plans and on measures to improve local air quality, including transport measures. The Government also funds a helpline service which local authorities can contact for practical and technical advice on air quality monitoring, modelling, emission inventories and action plan measures. This is to ensure consistency and best practice in the execution of the duties. DEFRA officials are in regular contact with local authorities, to share knowledge and to discuss reports and action plans on local air quality as necessary.

Animal Feed: EU Law

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if her Department will consider pushing for a review of The Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 which bans the feeding of catering and domestic food waste to livestock.

Richard Benyon: The Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002 was reviewed and replaced by a new Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009 which came into force on 4 March 2011. The ban on feeding of catering waste was considered as part of that review with the European Commission stating that:
	“the potential risks especially to animal health largely outweigh the benefits from such practice. In addition, the rules on animal by-products offer substantial ways of using catering waste, such as in biogas plants or for the production of bio-fuels”.
	This view was accepted by the European Council and Parliament, which maintained the ban in the replacement regulation.
	Nevertheless, DEFRA is currently conducting a review on the benefits and risks of using food waste in animal feed (Project FO0218) to inform future policy on this issue and the outcome will be reported at the end of 2012.

Animal Welfare

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many improvement notices were issued by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency inspectors under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 for (a) farm animals and (b) other species in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011; and how many of these improvement notices were complied with and required no further action.

James Paice: The information is as follows:
	(a) The data in the following table refers to the number of improvement notices served by Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency in England and Wales (where the AWA 2006 applies) at an enterprise(1) level. The number of farms where a notice was served will generally be less than the figures below as multiple farms on the same County Parish Holding number have been recorded with a notice.
	(1) An enterprise can be a dairy, beef breeding, laying hen units on a premises (CPH) i.e. usually more than one enterprise per CPH.
	
		
			 Action 2010 2011 
			 Notice 44(1) 42(2) 
			 (1) Data extracted from DEFRA Management Information System Vetnet on 25 May 2012. (2) Data extracted from DEFRA Management Information System Vetnet on 25 May 2012. 
		
	
	The AHVLA provides guidance to farmers on how to comply with the ‘Notice’ and assesses the resultant action taken. It is not possible to uniquely identify where ‘Notices’ have not been complied with, but where compliance has not been achieved AHVLA will follow up with further inspections and actions including formal cautions, prosecution, and in extreme cases euthanasia of an animal in extremis.
	(b) AHVLA has not served any enforcement notices for other species.

Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department introduced to reduce its carbon emissions in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Richard Benyon: Through its carbon reduction programme core DEFRA is continually identifying and reviewing opportunities for improving energy efficiency and implementing initiatives, to ensure that the Department is on track to meets its CO2 reduction obligations. The delivery plan is updated regularly and informed by regular benchmarking and targeting of energy use, and through in-depth energy surveys. Initiatives fall into four categories:
	(1) Improved management of equipment through:
	ongoing training and development of facilities management personnel; and
	implementation of more effective control mechanisms (timers, thermostats etc); supported by
	a ‘temperature set point’ policy in certain buildings;
	(2) Implementation of technologies (such as low energy lighting, voltage optimisation) which improve the energy efficiency of buildings;
	(3) Staff behavioural change campaigns to encourage staff to consider more energy efficient ways of working;
	(4) Input to estate strategy decisions enabling the department to consider energy and sustainability performance in property rationalisation decisions.
	Specific measures implemented by core DEFRA, its executive agencies and certain NPDBs include:
	2010
	Voltage optimisation devices installed at various locations
	Upgrades to some Building Management Systems
	Insulation and lagging installations
	Lighting upgrades to lower energy lighting
	2011
	A survey of four major laboratories on the estate to identify areas for energy saving. The recommendations are being developed into a delivery plan for project implementation in 2012-13
	Upgrades to further Building Management Systems
	Boiler optimisation devices fitted
	Window draught proofing
	Further lighting upgrades to lower energy lighting
	2012
	Installation of automatic meter reading (AMR) devices on gas meters
	Replacement of autoclaves (sterilisers)
	Further lighting upgrades to lower energy lighting
	The above information covers core DEFRA, its executive agencies (Rural Payments Agency, Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Food and Environment Research Agency) and NDPBs Natural England and Marine Management Organisation.

Cattle: Animal Welfare

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the welfare of show cattle.

James Paice: The UK Government are committed to ensuring that all animals are bred and kept in accordance with high standards of animal welfare. The deputy chief veterinary officer for England, and the presidents of the British Cattle Veterinary Association and the British Veterinary Association wrote to the Veterinary Record and Veterinary Times at the end of May, to raise concerns over certain practices by exhibitors at agricultural shows. They urged show veterinarians to report suspected breaches of animal welfare legislation to the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency so cases could be investigated and the appropriate action taken.
	UK agricultural shows and breed society ‘Showing Rules’ support good animal husbandry practices which members and participants are required to abide by when showing registered cattle.

Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what (a) grants and (b) contracts her Department has awarded to companies or organisations run by individuals who were previously employed in any capacity by (i) the Conservative party or its elected representatives and (ii) the Liberal Democrat party or its elected representatives since May 2010; what the (A) value and (B) nature was of these contracts; and whether they were publicly advertised;
	(2)  what (a) grants and (b) contracts her Department has awarded to companies or organisations run by individuals who previously held an elected position as a member of the (i) Conservative party and (ii) Liberal Democrat party since May 2010; what the (A) value and (B) nature was of these contracts; and whether they were publicly advertised;
	(3)  which individuals have been paid by her Department for consultancy or other services who were previously employed in any capacity by the (a) Conservative party or its elected representatives and (b) Liberal Democrat party or its elected representatives since May 2010; what the (i) cost and (ii) nature was of the services provided; and whether they were publicly advertised;
	(4)  which individuals have been paid by her Department for consultancy or other services who previously held an elected position as a member of the (a) Conservative party and (b) Liberal Democrat party since May 2010; what the (i) cost and (ii) nature was of the services provided; and whether they were publicly advertised.

Richard Benyon: As part of this Government's Transparency agenda, since 2010 all contracts over the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
	http://transparency-archive.number10.gov.uk/transparency/contract-finder/search

Dangerous Dogs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to protect guide dogs from attacks by other dogs.

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has any plans to tackle the problem of attacks by other dogs on guide dogs for the blind.

James Paice: We are concerned about the reported rising number of attacks on guide dogs and the distress such attacks can cause for their owners.
	The existing law on dangerous dogs makes it an offence to allow a dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place or a place it has no right to be. The definition of "dangerously out of control" means on any occasion where there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure any person, whether or not it actually does so. As with any other dog owner, I would expect there to be many instances where the owner of a guide dog would have reasonable grounds to believe a dog attacking his dog may also attack them. In addition, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal under the control of man. This could result in the prosecution of a dog owner whose dog has attacked another animal.
	The Government announced a package of proposals for tackling irresponsible dog ownership on 23 April, sending a clear signal that dog owners must take responsibility for keeping their animals under control. In addition to these proposals, we are also taking forward other work that we consider will help tackle irresponsible ownership of dogs. In addition, on 22 May the Home Office published a White Paper setting out proposals to reform the way that the police and local communities tackle anti-social behaviour. The White Paper provides details as to how the reforms will lead to a more effective strategy for tackling dog related antisocial behaviour.
	Finally, there are currently a number of initiatives that are undertaken at local level which are designed to promote more responsible ownership of dogs. We want to see more projects of this kind and we feel that those who may be interested in setting up projects need to know what works well and in what circumstances. To enable this to happen, DEFRA are funding innovative projects to provide learning that can be applied more widely.

Droughts: Horticulture

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on exempting landscape gardeners from a hosepipe ban; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Government continues to work closely with all sectors to understand and mitigate the impacts of the continuing drought. Temporary water use bans are applied by water companies. However, restrictions have been kept under regular review and an exemption was made for landscaping, turf and gardening businesses on 21 May following the recent heavy rainfall. The exemption applies to the first 28 days from the day of planting, sowing or turf-laying.

Fisheries

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure an equitable distinction between the jurisdiction of the Environment Agency Wales and Environment England in shared waters for the purposes of monitoring cockling activity.

Richard Benyon: I believe this question refers to the cockle fishery on the Dee, which is the only cockle fishery whose boundaries straddle English and Welsh waters.
	The management of cockles on the Dee is undertaken by the Environment Agency under a Regulating Order (which is granted to the Environment Agency) and a Management Plan. The management of the Dee is also carried out in accordance with an annual Appropriate Assessment agreed with the Countryside Council for Wales and Natural England. The Environment Agency in Wales leads on the management of the Dee cockle fishery, working closely with English colleagues, including enforcement, and the local fishing industry in both England and Wales. A Sea Fisheries Liaison Group has also been set-up. This provides advice on the management of the fishery and comprises of representatives from the fishing industry and statutory bodies on both sides of the estuary.

Fisheries: Conservation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received about damaging fishing activities in European marine sites; and what discussions her Department has had with the Marine Management Organisation about steps it is taking to protect the conservation status of these sites.

Richard Benyon: Representations have been received by DEFRA and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on this issue, including most recently from the Marine Conservation Society, Client Earth and the Wildlife Trusts.
	DEFRA officials have been in discussion with the MMO in relation to the appropriate management action needed to ensure effective conservation for European Marine Sites. Information about statutory and non-statutory management measures undertaken by MMO to further the conservation of European Marine Sites are routinely placed on its website on a site-by-site basis.

Fisheries: Conservation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to end scallop dredging in sites recommended for designation as marine conservation zones.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will be consulting on all the recommendations for Marine Conservation Zones in December 2012, with a view to designating the first tranche of sites in summer 2013. Decisions on management measures, including those relating to scallop fishing, will be taken by the relevant authorities in line with the conservation objectives for each site, and according to the provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

Flood Control

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on flood defences in each English region in each of the last 10 years.

Richard Benyon: The following tables show the total DEFRA grant in aid for managing flood and coastal risk management in England from 2002-03 to 2011-12.
	Over the period 2002-03 to 2005-06 capital grants were administered by DEFRA on a project-by-project basis to the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards. Grant rates were applied, with the remaining funding coming from levies raised by the regional flood defence committees, local authorities or internal drainage boards. No central record was kept of the regional breakdown.
	In April 2006 the Environment Agency was delegated responsibility for administering grant to all schemes promoted under the Land Drainage Act. Schemes under the Coast Protection Act continued to receive funding administered by DEFRA until April 2008, when this responsibility passed to the Environment Agency, Funding totals for Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (previously Regional Flood Defence Committees) are available from 2008-09 to 2011-12. The total amount in capital grant to local authorities and internal drainage boards is also given.
	
		
			 Table 1: 2002-03 to 2007-08 
			  Grant in Aid funding (£ million) 
			 2002-03 428 
			 2003-04 458 
			 2004-05 496 
			 2005-06 600 
			 2006-07 497 
			 2007-08 505 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: 2008-09 to 2011-12 
			 £ million 
			 Regional Flood and Coastal Committee 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Anglian (Central) 18 19 21 15 
			 Anglian (Northern) 37 39 34 24 
			 Anglian (Eastern) 61 42 41 44 
			 Midlands 40 52 55 45 
			 Northumbria 9 10 12 21 
			 Yorkshire 43 55 52 30 
			 North West 41 51 53 37 
			 South West 15 17 19 15 
			 Wessex 28 28 27 19 
			 Southern 53 66 58 41 
			 Thames 76 85 95 71 
			 Local authorities and internal drainage boards 64 64 61 31 
			 Grant in Aid funding (£ million) 559 607 629 521

Floods: Derby

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate flood defences in Derby North constituency.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency is working in partnership with Derby city council to develop a sustainable approach to flood risk management in and around Derby. The ‘Our City, Our River’ Master Plan is the first step in achieving this objective, and this covers the area from Darley Abbey Mills in the north, to Derby Junction Railway Bridge in the south. The Master Plan is just one strand of the Environment Agency's Lower Derwent Flood Risk Management Strategy, which covers an area from Milford to the River Trent confluence.
	The strategy identified that to provide sustainable flood risk management through Derby, the defences through the city should be realigned away from the river and the Master Plan presents a preferred realignment route for the flood defences. If approved, funding would be from a mix of Flood Defence grant in aid and partnership funding contributions.

Floods: Insurance

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress her Department has made on discussions with the insurance industry on the future of flood insurance; and if she will make it her policy to negotiate a solution in advance of the expiry of the existing Statement of Principles.

Richard Benyon: The existing Statement of Principles is due to expire on 30 June. We are at an advanced stage in intensive negotiations with the insurance industry on alternative arrangements for when the Statement of Principles expires. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs met with insurers to discuss the issues at a recent conference.
	The Government's core focus is to continue to invest in new and improved defences. In the current spending period, the Government is spending over £2.17 billion on flood and coastal erosion risk management, offering better protection to over 145,000 homes.

Food Supply

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether her Department has undertaken any recent research on developing new food production techniques in the agricultural sector;
	(2)  whether her Department has undertaken recent research on raising crop yields in conjunction with improving sustainability and maintaining ecosystem services.

James Paice: The Government welcomed the Foresight report on the Future of Food and Farming, which explores the pressures on the global food system between now and 2050. We recognise that in order to feed the predicted increase in population in the UK and the world by 2050, we will need to increase food production sustainably in the UK, EU and beyond.
	DEFRA spends £28 million (2011-12 figures) annually on research to encourage sustainable food production; enhance the environment and biodiversity and support a sustainable, secure and healthy food supply. DEFRA also supports a substantial programme of research to improve animal health and welfare within the agricultural sector, approximately £30 million was spent during 2011/12 in support of it.
	DEFRA is contributing £30 million over five years to the £90 million Technology Strategy Board Agriculture and Food Innovation Platform, which is funding collaborative research with industry to stimulate innovation in farming and food production systems.
	DEFRA is providing funding for the current call of the Information and Communication Technology and Robotics ERAnet (ICT-AGRI) to support research and development and innovation projects on sustainable crop and animal production with other EU members.
	From the period 2007 to 2015 DEFRA has supported several research projects addressing increasing crop yields while maintaining sustainability and ecosystem services. Two key projects are: 1. WC1034 ‘FARMLAND’ which is examining interdependences between biodiversity and cropping. 2. DEFRA project IF01116, which is investigating contributory causes of the current yield plateau in wheat and oilseed rape.

Food Supply

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to increase UK food production.

James Paice: The first objective in DEFRA’s business plan is to ‘support and develop British farming and encourage sustainable food production’ and this commitment influences all of the policy work DEFRA undertakes. The plan outlines a number of areas in which we are taking action to promote increased domestic food production.
	DEFRA is working on the ‘Green Food Project’ which is a joint initiative between Government, industry, consumer and environmental organisations, because we recognise that neither increasing food production nor improving the environment are challenges for Government alone.

Food: Donors

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage food manufacturers and retailers to donate their in-date waste to homelessness and food bank organisations.

James Paice: The Government strongly supports redistribution of surplus food to charities such as FareShare and FoodCycle and hopes that more firms will choose to donate suitable surplus food rather than send it for disposal. Many do so already, though only a fraction of the available food is currently donated.
	We are considering all barriers to redistribution, including legal concerns. This work will determine the way forward and we will need to work with these charities and food manufacturers to lower any barriers identified.
	The Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my noble Friend, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, also recently wrote to my right hon. and noble Friend, Lord Young of Graffham, to consider how health and safety can be reviewed to help facilitate this.

Food: Sustainable Development

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on sustainable intensification.

James Paice: The Foresight Report on the Future of Food and Farming defines sustainable intensification as:
	“Simultaneously raising yields, while increasing the efficiency with which inputs are used and reducing the negative environmental effects of food production. It requires economic and social changes to recognise the multiple outputs required of land managers, farmers and other food producers, and a redirection of research to address a more complex set of goals than just increasing yield.”
	These ideas are reflected in DEFRA’s Business plan, where the Government has committed to increasing growth, productivity and competiveness in the farming sector, combined with improvements to the environment. We have taken this approach forward through the Natural Environment White Paper, where we committed to work jointly with the food and farming industry and environmental and consumer organisations to look at how we might reconcile some of the tensions that arise in trying to achieve all of these objectives. The ‘Green Food project’ that is undertaking this work will report its initial findings in July 2012.

Milk: Prices

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration she has given to introducing (a) a fixed price, (b) a price formula, (c) break clauses and (d) certainty of other basic terms in milk supply contracts.

James Paice: The Government is clear that it cannot influence dairy prices directly as it must be for the market to drive both production and price levels. The EU Dairy Package sets-out what contracts must cover if they are made compulsory but does not permit us to introduce any additional regulations.
	I have, therefore, strongly encouraged the industry to develop a robust voluntary code of contractual good practice that could be in place more quickly and would keep the industry in control of how contracts deal with all the issues which are critical to farmers and processors.

Nature Conservation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which priority species had achieved their Species Action Plan recovery targets in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland by 2010; and which was her Department's lead partner or co-lead partner organisation for each species.

Richard Benyon: The last formal assessment of progress against Species Action Plan recovery targets was in 2008. The results of the 2008 assessment for the UK and each constituent country have been published online through the Biodiversity Action Reporting System. The highlights of the 2008 reporting round are also published on the web-site of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. In England, 143 species were assessed as meeting their recovery targets. A list of these species, along with the relevant lead statutory or voluntary sector partners has been placed in the House Library.
	Conservation of biodiversity is a devolved matter and so action in other parts of the UK is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
	We published our new biodiversity strategy for England, “Biodiversity 2020”, in August 2011, and have established a working group involving the Government, statutory agencies and civil society groups to develop indicators for species that reflect the new strategy.

Nature Conservation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to paragraph 25 of Biodiversity 2020: A Strategy for England's wildlife, when her Department plans to publish details of its proposed new monitoring and reporting system.

Richard Benyon: The set of indicators to assess delivery of our biodiversity strategy for England 2011 to 2020, “Biodiversity 2020”, was published on 29 May and will be updated annually thereafter.

Nature Conservation

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to support partner organisations achieve the recovery of priority species by 2020.

Richard Benyon: We published our new biodiversity strategy for England, “Biodiversity 2020”, in August last year. This sets out our plans for the period 2011 to 2020.
	The new strategy entails a major shift in emphasis towards a much more integrated large-scale approach to biodiversity conservation, exemplified by our Nature Improvement Areas initiative. We have already announced funding of £7.5 million over a three year period for 12 Nature Improvement Areas across England. Many priority species will benefit from this approach.
	Our strategy also commits to take targeted action for the recovery of those priority species whose conservation is not delivered through wider habitat-based measures.
	Through Natural England, we have established a new Terrestrial Biodiversity Group to work with partner organisations to drive delivery of the biodiversity strategy's outcomes on the ground.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many quangos her Department has (a) abolished and (b) established since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: While there is no definition of a quango, the Cabinet Office Public Bodies Reform team conducted a review of 904 public bodies in 2010 and concluded that around 200 bodies would be abolished, 120 bodies would be merged into 56 bodies and a further 177 bodies would be retained but substantially reformed.
	In October 2010 it was concluded that the number of DEFRA public bodies would reduce from 92 to 39. Following a public bodies review update announcement on 16 March 2011, it was confirmed that a further three non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) would be abolished. Once all reforms are complete DEFRA will have 36 NDPBs.
	The process is underway and since May 2010 my Department has abolished 12 NDPBs. We have not established any further NDPBs.

Ofwat

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the largest amount paid to an individual member of staff employed by Ofwat as a bonus was in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011;
	(2)  how many staff employed by Ofwat received bonuses in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011;
	(3)  what the (a) average and (b) total amount paid in bonuses to staff at Ofwat was in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Richard Benyon: Ofwat makes non-consolidated, variable bonus payments to its staff to help drive performance. The annual appraisal process measures performance, helps staff develop their potential and to make a full contribution towards realising Ofwat's objectives. All Ofwat staff have the opportunity to earn a bonus on an annual basis, although bonuses are only awarded for exceptional performance.
	Number of Ofwat staff who received bonuses in:
	
		
			  Number people 
			 (a) 2010 26 
			 (b) 2011 32 
		
	
	The largest amount paid to an individual member of staff as a bonus in:
	
		
			  £ 
			 (a) 2010 12,500 
			 (b) 2011 12,500 
		
	
	The average amounts paid in bonuses to Ofwat staff in:
	
		
			  £ 
			 (a) 2010 3,170 
			 (b) 2011 2,225 
		
	
	The total amount paid in bonuses to Ofwat staff in:
	
		
			  £ 
			 (a) 2010 82,415 
			 (b) 2011 71,191 
		
	
	These numbers include bonuses paid to senior civil servants.

Palm Oil

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on including sustainable palm oil requirements in Government Buying Standards.

Richard Benyon: The Government recognises the need to encourage sustainable sourcing of palm oil and is considering the case for amendment of the current Government Buying Standards to include a sustainable palm oil sourcing requirement.

Pesticides

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure that any decision on policy on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides will be based solely on technical assessments by relevant government scientific advisory bodies.

Richard Benyon: Decisions on whether to approve the use of pesticides, and on the conditions attached to any approval, are based on the objective assessment of scientific information. This follows longstanding practice and the requirements of UK and EU law, which allow approval to be withdrawn or amended if new information shows that to be appropriate.
	This is the approach being taken for neonicotinoid pesticides. In the UK the latest evidence is being examined by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of the Health and Safety Executive, DEFRA’s Food and Environment Research Agency and the independent scientific Advisory Committee on Pesticides. The work is being overseen by DEFRA’s chief scientific adviser. The EU authorities are also looking at the evidence and this is being taken forward by the European Food Safety Authority.

Plants: Disease Control

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely cost of (a) control and (b) prevention of invasive non-native plant species in each of the next three years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not collate information on the cost of control of invasive non-native plants. However, research commissioned jointly by the GB Administrations reported in 2010 that invasive non-native species cost the GB economy in excess of £1.7 billion per annum. The types of impact costs taken into account are detailed in the report and include, where possible, control costs. The report is available on the website of the GB Non-native Species Secretariat at:
	www.nonnativespecies.org
	Measures to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive non-native plant species take many forms and involve the actions of Government, its agencies, external stakeholders, and through our partnership awareness campaigns, also the general public. The total expenditure or value of this effort cannot therefore be comprehensively costed.

Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of her Department's expenditure on procurement has gone to small and medium-sized enterprises since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: The expenditure of core DEFRA and its arms length bodies with small and medium-sized enterprises has been reported in the Cabinet Office report, “Making Government business more accessible to SMEs—One Year On”:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-govemment-business-more-accessible-smes-one-year

River Severn

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the effect on wildlife habitats of the Severn Barrage;
	(2)  if she will discuss with Natural England the effects on wildlife habitats of the Severn Barrage;
	(3)  if she will hold discussions with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on the construction of the Severn Barrage.

Richard Benyon: A comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of a barrage on the nature conservation interests of the protected areas in the Severn Estuary was undertaken as part of the Government's Severn Tidal Feasibility Study, which was published in October 2010. Consultation with the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Countryside Council for Wales and RSPB informed this exercise. A link to the summary report of the study can be found on the Department of Energy and Climate Change's website.
	Any future independent proposal to construct a Severn barrage would almost certainly involve an environmental impact assessment and an appropriate assessment under the EU Habitats Directive. Natural England would be consulted in both these processes. Any such proposal would also be likely to involve consultation with third parties, probably via a public inquiry. Responsibility for determining any application and assessing environmental impacts would rest with the relevant competent authority(ies) and the appropriate Secretary of State, which is most likely to be the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey).

Rural Areas: Broadband

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Rural Community Broadband Fund in providing communities with broadband in the 10 per cent hardest to reach areas in England.

Richard Benyon: It is too early to assess the effectiveness of the Rural Community Broadband Fund, which was launched at the end of November. We will be commissioning an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the fund over the summer with an initial report expected in the first half of next year.
	A positive response was received to Round One which closed on 31 January—of the 39 Expressions of Interest received, 16 have been endorsed with conditions and have been invited to develop full applications.

Rural Areas: Broadband

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effects on rural businesses of a lack of broadband access.

Richard Benyon: There is growing evidence that broadband connectivity and higher broadband speeds improve economic growth and productivity. We recognise that lack of broadband availability hampers the potential of rural businesses and that is why the Government is investing £530 million to bring superfast broadband to at least 90% of premises and standard broadband (a minimum of 2Mbps) to the remaining premises by 2015.

Sausages: Lincolnshire

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has any plans to provide support to Lincolnshire producers of Lincolnshire sausages.

James Paice: The Government wants to encourage more applications under the EU's Protected Food Name scheme. However, in order to be registered under the scheme applications must meet the required criteria for registration.
	Our recent decision to reject the application from the Lincolnshire Sausage Association (LSA) to protect the name, ‘Lincolnshire Sausage’ under the EU Protected Food Name scheme was made after careful consideration of all the evidence provided by the applicants and the objecting parties. The reasons for that decision were set out in some detail in the letter we sent to the LSA on 16 May. A copy of that letter can be found at the following link:
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/food/industry/regional/foodname/products/documents/linconshire-sausage-letter20120516.pdf
	That letter also makes provision for an appeal to be made to the decision. Any reconsideration of our decision would be dependent on new arguments and information being put forward. At the request of the LSA, we have agreed to extend the deadline for the submission of appeals from 31 May 2012 to 15 June 2012.
	We remain open to looking at other options which would allow producers in Lincolnshire to highlight the traditional and local nature of their sausages.

Telephone Services

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many call centres provide services for her Department and the bodies for which she is responsible; and how many such call centres are based abroad.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and its arms length bodies provide the following Helplines, none of which is based abroad.
	Core DEFRA
	The General DEFRA Helpline provides a single point of contact for all general queries from the public.
	The DEFRA Farming Advice Service provides advice on cross compliance, nutrient management, climate change mitigation and adaptation and competitiveness.
	Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency
	The PETS Helpline provides advice and guidance on pet passports and travelling with pets.
	The TSE Helpline provides general and technical advice to the disposal industry and farmers relating to BSE and scrapie testing requirements.
	Rural Payments Agency
	The Rural Payments Agency Helpline provides information and guidance on the rules, regulations and requirements in respect of the Rural Land Register, Customer Registration and the Single Payment scheme (SPS).
	The British Cattle Movement Service Helpline provides information and guidance on the rules, regulations and requirements in respect of cattle passports and the reporting of birth, death and movement of cattle to cattle keepers of Great Britain.
	The Environment Agency
	The Environment Agency Floodline provides information on flood warnings and advice on what to do before, during and after flooding in England, Wales and Scotland.
	The Environment Agency's National Customer Contact Centre (NCCC) has three helplines: General Enquiries, Hazardous Waste and Agricultural Waste.

Thames Estuary Airport

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she or her officials have had with the Department for Transport on the potential environmental effects of building an airport in the Thames Estuary.

Richard Benyon: Neither DEFRA Ministers nor officials have had discussions with Department for Transport counterparts on the potential environmental effects of building an airport in the Thames estuary. In common with any other proposal for major infrastructure development, any formal proposal for a new airport in the Thames estuary would need to be accompanied by an assessment of the environmental impacts. This would help inform the final decision in the event that approval was sought for such a scheme.

Trade Unions

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many trade union representatives in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies had (i) part-time; and (ii) full-time paid facility time arrangements in 2011-12;
	(2)  how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in 2011-12; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies for trade union (i) duties and (ii) activities in 2011-12;
	(4)  if she will place in the Library copies of the facility time agreements between trade unions and (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies;
	(5)  how many trade union representatives in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-department public bodies have faced disciplinary action for abusing paid facility time or public resources in each of the last five years;
	(6)  how many meetings have taken place between (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies and trade union representatives utilising paid facility time in each of the last five years to discuss (i) collective bargaining, (ii) redundancies, (iii) negotiations relating to employment, pay and conditions and (iv) other trade union and industrial relations duties; and what the dates and times were of each meeting;
	(7)  on how many occasions trade union representatives from (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have utilised paid facility time to represent an employee at a meeting or other industrial relations matter in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: Facility time was under review in core DEFRA as part of an industrial relations review, and the number of full-time equivalent posts on facility time was reduced from 13.7 in 2010-11 to 12.25 in 2011-12. It had been intended that further reductions would follow in subsequent years in both core DEFRA and the Agencies, particularly AHVLA and RPA. However, the Government announced its intention in October 2011 to consult centrally with the civil service trade unions with regard to the current facility time practices in the civil service. This central consultation will commence shortly.
	At present the numbers of trade union representatives in (a) the Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies that had (i) part-time; and (ii) full-time paid facility time arrangements in 2011-12 are as follows:
	
		
			 Organisation Part-Time Full-Time 
			 Core DEFRA(1) 10 6 
			 AHVLA 52 3 
			 FERA 25 0 
			 RPA 33 3 
			 CEFAS 0 0 
			 VMD 0 0 
			 (1) This includes trade unions representatives who have responsibilities across the Department, not just within Core DEFRA. 
		
	
	
		
			 NDPBs Part-Time Full-Time 
			 Agricultural, Horticultural Development Board 2 0 
			 Consumer Council for Water 0 0 
			 Environment Agency 19 2 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority 1 0 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee 9 0 
			 Kew 0 0 
			 National Forest Company 0 0 
			 Natural England 20 3 
			 Marine Management Organisation 15 0 
			 Seafish 2 0 
		
	
	The numbers of days utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in (a) the Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in 2011-12, and the cost to the public purse, are as follows.
	The information requested is set out as follows:
	
		
			 Organisation Days Total costs (£) 
			 DEFRA(1) 2,634 468,034 
			 AHVLA 2,087 346,679 
			 FERA 254 84,500 
			 RPA 1,459 156,925 
			 CEFAS 0 0 
			 VMD 0 0 
			 (1) This includes trade unions representatives who have responsibilities across the Department, not just within Core DEFRA. 
		
	
	
		
			 NDPB Days Total costs (£) 
			 Agricultural, Horticultural Development Board 3 (1)456 
			 Consumer Council for Water 0 0 
			 Environment Agency 1547 152,112 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority 52 5,637 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee 119 17,983 
			 Kew 0 0 
			 National Forest Company 0 0 
			 Natural England 980 103,560 
			 Marine Management Organisation 322 42,593 
			 Seafish 6 1,877 
			 (1) AHDB is a levy funded body, and as such there is no cost to the public purse from this activity. 
		
	
	We are unable to provide this information on how many days were utilised for paid facility time by each trade union representative in the Department and each of its non-departmental public bodies for trade union (i) duties and (ii) activities in 2011-12 without incurring a disproportionate cost. DEFRA (including Agencies and NDPBs) does not keep separate electronic records of how the facility time afforded to trade union representatives is used for duties or activities.
	The Department intends to place a copy of DEFRA's current facilities agreement in the House of Commons Library. We will also arrange for facility times agreements negotiated by any of the Department's NDPBs to be published.
	No trade union representative has faced disciplinary action in DEFRA or its Agencies for misusing paid facility time or public resources in any of the last five years. Disciplinary action was taken in one case in an NDBP.
	The information on numbers, dates and times of meetings that have taken place between (a) the Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies and trade union representatives utilising paid facility time in each of the last five years to discuss (i) collective bargaining, (ii) redundancies, (iii) negotiations relating to employment, pay and conditions and (iv) other trade union and industrial relations duties; and what the dates and times were of each meeting is not readily available and can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. There are numerous national and local meetings with the unions, covering a wide range of issues affecting staff including the topics noted in the question. It is not departmental policy to record centrally or locally the dates and times of all these meetings.
	The Department (including the Agencies and NDBPs) also does not keep central records of when trade union officials have used paid facility time to represent an employee at a meeting, nor other industrial relations matter, in each of the last five years. We are therefore unable to provide this information without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Trees: Disease Control

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to increase biosecurity measures to protect trees from the importation of non-native tree pests and diseases.

James Paice: DEFRA and the Forestry Commission launched the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action plan on 18 October 2011, which set out an integrated approach to dealing with the increasing biosecurity threats to Britain’s trees and forests. The action plan details steps to be taken now and in the future regarding import controls, practical actions, communications and engagement, and research. One theme of the action plan is to minimise the risk of new threats to trees from entering the UK, including through improvements in the EU plant health import rules and gathering evidence for a consultation on the current concession that allows imports of some plant material in passengers’ baggage.
	The action plan was developed by DEFRA and the Forestry Commission, with vital help from a wide range of stakeholders from across the forestry and research sectors, including the devolved Administrations, which participated in a series of workshops to identify priorities and areas for action.
	The Forestry Commission has also proposed to implement a UK protected zone for oak processionary moth (OPM) with a general requirement to prevent the introduction of the pest into parts of the UK where it is not present. The European Commission has responded positively to this proposal and we have provided the Commission with the exact delimitations of the protected zone. For the protected zone to be implemented, OPM must first be listed as a ‘harmful organism’ under the EU directive. This process is ongoing.

UN Conference On Sustainable Development

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking in support of the proposal in the EU's Zero Draft Submission to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development for the establishment of an Ombudsperson for Future Generations; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) is working closely with her EU colleagues to determine what the EU's response should be to the proposal for an ombudsperson for future generations.

Water: Norfolk

George Freeman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate she has made of the likely growth in (a) water demand, (b) water supply and (c) reservoir capacity in Norfolk in the next (i) 10, (ii) 20 and (iii) 30 years; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency recently assessed current and future demands and water availability as evidence for the case for change in DEFRA's White Paper—Water for Life. The assessment was conducted at a local level across England and Wales, including Norfolk, to the 2050s. The assessment considered four different demand projections and four different water supply projections. It concluded that water resources will become more stressed in future as a result of climate change, increasing population and changes in lifestyle. Careful planning will be critical to ensure sustainable water supplies for people, businesses, agriculture and the environment. The results are summarised as follows:
	Demand and water availability projections:
	Four 2050 demand projections for Norfolk, based on assumed changes in population and changes in water consumption:
	10% less demand than today
	5% more demand than today
	20% more demand than today
	55% more demand than today
	Four 2050 water supply projections for Norfolk, based on assumed impacts of climate change:
	Up to a 5% increase in summer water availability than today
	Up to a 15% reduction in summer water availability than today
	Up to a 25% reduction in summer water availability than today
	Up to a 50% reduction in summer water availability than today
	Potential unmet demand in the 2050s (demand as a percentage of water supply):
	Ranges for Norfolk across the scenario combinations from a surplus of water in the coastal catchment of north-west Norfolk (50% of available water needed to meet demands) to the Cam and Ely Ouse catchment projecting a shortfall (over 200% of available water needed to meet demands).
	Scale of water that may need to be saved (e.g. water efficiency) or developed (e.g. increase reservoir capacity, or better sharing of resources) to manage sustainable supplies across East Anglia in the 2050s:
	The study concluded that water demand management will have an important role to play in improving water availability in the 2050s, but climate change could mean that significant new resources will be necessary. In east Anglia, 35% of a future water resource shortfall could be met by resource improvements, while the remaining shortfall could be reduced by demand management measures such as leakage control and more efficient use by customers.
	The full details can be found in the case for change report.
	Water companies are required to prepare Water Resources Management Plans that assess their customer's future demands for water and water availability, including reservoir capacity. These plans are produced every five years and look 25 years ahead. Anglian Water's plan covers Norfolk, the current plan shows how the company will manage supply and demand and it will consult on a revised plan in spring 2013. Anglian Water is not planning to build any new reservoirs, or significant expansion to existing reservoirs, with the exception of a small expansion to Ardleigh reservoir.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on 
	(1)  the design and implementation of qualified one-way costs shifting; when he expects the draft rules to be published; whether he plans to consult on draft rules; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  on the design and implementation of reform to part 36 of the Civil Procedure Rules; when he expects draft rules to be published; whether he plans to consult on the draft rules; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  on the implementation of the planned increase in general damages for personal injury claims; what discussions he has had with the judiciary on this issue; whether the uplift will be reflected in the next edition of the Guidelines for General Damages Personal Injury; when he expects the next edition will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement issued on 24 May 2012, Official Report, column 94WS, regarding the implementation of Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
	As set out, the Government has asked the Civil Justice Council for further advice in relation to the implementation of qualified one way costs shifting (QOCS) by the end of June 2012. Updates are provided on the judiciary website at
	http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/review-of-civil-litigation-costs
	On the 10% increase in general damages, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 February 2012, Official Report, column 446W.
	The Ministry of Justice will continue to engage with key stakeholders and the senior judiciary and will announce further details on implementation by the summer recess.

Claims Management Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy and effectiveness of regulation of the claims management industry.

Jonathan Djanogly: An internal review of the Claims Management Regulation Unit in MOJ conducted in 2011 fully considered the current arrangements and options for the future of regulation. The review concluded that forthcoming changes to the claims market, such as the banning of referral fees for personal injury claims, meant that no fundamental changes should be made at this stage.
	In addition, the Post Legislative Assessment of the Compensation Act 2006, published in January 2012 provided evidence that the regulatory framework introduced by the 2006 Act is not only necessary but has achieved the legislative intention. A copy of the Assessment (Command Paper 8267) is available in the House Library.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effect of the funding changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme on litigants based in or visiting Scotland.

Crispin Blunt: The Government's proposals for reform contained in the consultation document "Getting it right for victims and witnesses" would, if implemented, apply to eligible applicants in England. Wales and Scotland. The geographical location of the incident giving rise to the claim would not affect the outcome of the application.
	The consultation closed on 22 April 2012. We are considering the responses received and will publish the Government response shortly.
	The Justice Secretary has consulted the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice regarding the consultation proposals.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the effect of the changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme on access to legal services for asylum seekers in Scotland.

Crispin Blunt: The proposed changes to the scheme would not affect access to legal services for asylum seekers. Our proposals would however, affect whether or not an asylum seeker is eligible to receive compensation.
	Applicants to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme do not need legal representation to apply. They can apply by telephone, and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's helpline staff will take them through the whole application process. For face-to-face guidance the authority recommends that applicants contact their local Victim Support office.

Employment Tribunals Service

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 29 February 2012, Official Report, columns 368-9W, on Employment Tribunals Service, how many of the unpaid employment tribunal awards and ACAS settlements passed to the high court enforcement officers in financial year 2011-12 (a) have been fully enforced, (b) have been partially enforced (paid in part), (c) were enforced with payments in instalments, (d) are ongoing and (e) were unenforceable.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information is as follows:
	In financial year (FY) 2011-12, 1,438 unpaid employment tribunal and 185 ACAS settlements were passed to High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs).
	Of these cases, 515 have been fully enforced, of which 97 were paid in instalments; 30 were paid in part; 553 cases remain ongoing and 507 were unenforceable. 18 cases are the subject of continuing investigation with HCEOs.
	Of the 507 cases individual reasons for non enforcement are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Category Cases 
			 Unable to make contact with debtor 173 
			 Debtor insolvent 171 
			 Enforcement stopped by order of court 21 
			 Enforcement stopped by creditor 130 
			 General—Other reasons 12

Isle of Man

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to assist closer co-operation with the Government of the Isle of Man; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice provides the main channel of communication between the Isle of Man and HM Government. In doing so it works closely with the Isle of Man Government and acts on its behalf by liaising with other UK Government Departments on a wide range of issues, including those of mutual interest and benefit including, though not exclusively, fisheries, immigration and crime.
	My Department is actively encouraging officials from across UK Government to engage directly with their Isle of Man counterparts in the interests of fostering a greater understanding of the UK’s relationship with the island across UK Government; and with the aim of building closer working relationships with the Isle of Man authorities that will be of benefit to the UK and Isle of Man.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the timetable is for the implementation of secondary legislation in respect of Part II of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012;
	(2)  what the timetable is for the Civil Procedure Rule Committee's consideration of the rules to be implemented in respect of Part II of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012;
	(3)  what consultation he expects to undertake in respect of Part II of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; and what the timetable is for any such consultation.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the hon. member to the written statement issued on 24 May 2012, Official Report, column 94WS, regarding the implementation of Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
	The provisions in Part 2 relating to civil litigation funding and costs will come into force in April 2013, with the exceptions of mesothelioma claims and insolvency proceedings.
	Changes to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) will be considered by the CPR Committee in the autumn, in order for the necessary changes to come into effect for April 2013.
	The Ministry of Justice will continue to engage with key stakeholders as necessary and will announce further details by the summer recess.

Magistrates Courts: West Yorkshire

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were commenced in the magistrates' courts in the West Yorkshire police area in (a) 2001 and (b) 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The number of proceedings for criminal offences in the magistrates courts in the West Yorkshire police force area in 2001 was 98,117. The figure for 2011 was 63,555.

Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff who will transfer from his Department, its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies work force to a mutual in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: There have been no staff transfers from the Ministry of Justice, its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies to a mutual organisation for the period 2011/12. There are no plans to transfer staff to a mutual organisation in 2012/13.
	However, the Ministry of Justice is actively exploring opportunities to encourage public service mutuals across its services. In our recent consultation, ‘Punishment and reform: effective probation services’, we set out our intention to support new models for delivering probation services, such as joint ventures, social enterprises and public service mutuals, and are consulting on how we can best support staff in this process.

Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what target he has set to reduce headcount across his Department, its non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: No headcount reduction targets have been set for my Department.
	Estimates suggest that the Ministry will lose around 14,000 to 15,000 posts by the end of the spending review, including a significant reduction in its headquarters and administrative areas. Headcount reduction will be through natural turnover and voluntary redundancy, avoiding compulsory redundancy where possible.

Operating Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on the administration of his Department in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Kenneth Clarke: Administration costs, excluding staff and judicial costs and operating income, in 2009-10 and 2010-11 for the core Department and its three Executive agencies (Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, National Offender Management Service and the Office for the Public Guardian) is given as follows:
	
		
			 Administration costs 
			  Amount (£ million) 
			 2010-11 164.1 
			 2009-10 179.2 
		
	
	Detailed information on expenditure appears in the Department's annual report and accounts which are published on our website. Please refer to page 99 of the report by using the following link;
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/2011/annual-report-accounts-2010-11
	The Department's resource accounts for 2011-12 are currently being audited. Information on the cost of administration for 2011-12 will be available upon published.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the timetable is for the consultation on including personal injury cases up to £5,000 within the small claims court;
	(2)  for what reasons he has decided to extend the small claims limit for personal injury claims;
	(3)  whether his Department is considering including personal injury cases up to £5,000 within the small claims court;
	(4)  what plans he has to consult on his proposed increase in the small claims limit for personal injury claims to £5,000;
	(5)  whether he proposes to apply the increase to the small claims limit for personal injury claims to £5,000 to all types of personal injury claims;
	(6)  what additional resources he plans to make available to the Courts and Tribunals Service in respect of any increase in the number of claimants in person resulting from an increase in the small claims limit for personal injury claims to £5,000;
	(7)  what assessment he has made of the likely change in the number and proportion of claimants in person if his proposal to increase the small claims limit for personal injury claims to £5,000 is implemented.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Prime Minister hosted an insurance summit on 14 February where the Government made a number of commitments designed to address the issue of the rising cost of motor insurance premiums.
	Among other action already ongoing, we are planning to launch a consultation document this summer which will contain a number of questions designed to seek stakeholders' and members of the public's views on issues around personal injury claims for whiplash in road traffic accidents.
	Through the consultation we will seek views on reducing the costs of challenging fraudulent cases in court by raising the small claims threshold for personal injury claims. We will also consider the use of independent medical panels to reduce fraudulent claims by tackling questionable medical evidence.
	However work is ongoing and the outcome of the consultation cannot be predetermined.

Prisoners: Females

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women with home addresses in Swindon were held in women's prisons between April 2011 and April 2012; what their average sentence length was; of what offences they had been convicted; and what the average number was of previous offences committed prior to their imprisonment.

Crispin Blunt: The information is not available in the format requested. The following tables show the number of female adult offenders with home addresses in Swindon who were held in female prisons in March 2011 and March 2012, on a set day in each month where data is available. Due to the small numbers involved it is not possible to produce meaningful averages from this data, so the information on sentence length and offence type has been grouped.
	
		
			 March 2011 
			 Sentence Status Total 
			 Remand 1 
			 Sentenced to 12 months to less than four years 6 
			 Sentenced to four years plus 1 
			 Grand total 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence Group Total 
			 Violence Against the Person 4 
			 Robbery 2 
			 Theft and handling 1 
			 Other offences 1 
			 Grand total 8 
		
	
	
		
			 March 2012 
			 Sentence Status Total 
			 Remand 2 
			 Sentenced to 12 months to less than four years 3 
			 Sentenced to four years plus 5 
			 Recall 3 
			 Grand total 13 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence Group Total 
			 Violence Against the Person 2 
			 Robbery 3 
			 Burglary 2 
			 Drug offences 3 
			 Motoring offences 1 
			 Other offences 2 
			 Grand total 13 
		
	
	Providing information on the number of previous offences for the offenders represented in the following data would require an individual search for each offender's record to establish their offending history, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on offenders' residences is provided by offenders on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the table above.
	If no address is given, an offender's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the table above. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the table above.

Prisoners: Females

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many female adult offenders with home addresses in Swindon were held in (a) young offender institutions, (b) women's prisons and (c) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of female adult offenders with home addresses in Swindon who were held in female prisons, on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009. As all female adult offenders are held in female prisons, none were held in young offender institutions or other parts of the secure estate over the period.
	
		
			  May 2009 September 2010 November 2010 January 2011 March 2011 May 2011 
			 (a) Young Offender Institutions 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (b) Female Prisons 13 7 5 7 7 8 
			 (c) Other parts of the secure estate 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  July 2011 September 2011 November 2011 January 2012 March 2012 
			 (a) Young Offender Institutions 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (b) Female Prisons 10 11 10 11 11 
			 (c) Other parts of the secure estate 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on offenders' residences is provided by offenders on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the table above.
	If no address is given, an offender's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. These figures are also included in the table above. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, these figures are excluded from the table above.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2012, Official Report, column 634W, on prisoners: repatriation, what (a) the offences committed by and (b) the nationalities were of each of the 22 prisoners transferred to serve their sentences in European countries in 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The following table gives the member state of the European Union to which each of the 22 prisoners where transferred in 2011, together with the offences committed.
	
		
			  Member state of the European Union to which each prisoner was transferred in 2011 
			 Offence Member state Number 
			 Drugs importation Belgium 1 
			 Possessing Firearms with intent to endanger life Czech Republic 1 
			 Drugs importation Czech Republic 2 
			 Attempted Robbery Czech Republic 1 
			 Drugs importation The Netherlands 11 
			 Drugs importation Germany 1 
			 Drugs importation Greece 1 
			 Rape Poland 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Robbery Portugal 1 
			 Drugs importation Spain 2

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications were received to transfer foreign national prisoners from the UK to their country of nationality under the Council of Europe's convention on the transfer of prisoners in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: From 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011. 138 applications were received from prisoners who wanted to transfer to another country to serve their sentence of imprisonment there. 127 have been referred to other jurisdictions for consideration. Those not referred either; did not meet the criteria for transfer, had withdrawn their requests, or had ongoing legal proceedings in the United Kingdom.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many UK nationals were repatriated to serve their prison sentence in a UK prison under the Council of Europe's convention on the transfer of prisoners in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of prisoners repatriated to England and Wales under the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2007 63 
			 2008 47 
			 2009 52 
			 2010 74 
			 2011 58 
		
	
	The repatriation of prisoners to and from Scotland and to and from Northern Ireland is a matter for the relevant devolved Administration.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the country of nationality was of foreign national offenders transferred to that country under the Council of Europe's Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table gives the country of nationality of foreign national offenders transferred from England and Wales in each of the last five year.
	
		
			 Country 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Netherlands 75 42 25 24 11 
			 Belgium 10 5 1 1 1 
			 France 3 5 2 — — 
			 Republic of Ireland 5 4 1 — — 
			 Turkey 1 2 4 2 4 
			 Spain 2 3 1 — 2 
			 Germany 2 — 3 — 1 
			 Poland 1 1 — 3 1 
			 Lithuania 1 — — 4 — 
			 Dutch Antilles 5 1 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Canada — 3 — 1 — 
			 Cyprus 2 — — 1 — 
			 Czech Republic — — 1 1 4 
			 Switzerland 1 1 — — — 
			 Norway 2 — — — 1 
			 Slovenia — — 1 1 — 
			 Portugal — — — 2 1 
			 Italy 1 — — — — 
			 Macedonia — 1 — — — 
			 Austria — — — 1 — 
			 Bermuda — — — — 1 
			 Ecuador — — — — 1 
			 Greece — — — — 1 
		
	
	The repatriation of prisoners to and from Scotland and to and from Northern Ireland is a matter for the relevant devolved Administration.

Prisoners: Veterans

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of whether former military personnel sentenced to imprisonment have failed to declare their military service on reception into prison in order to protect their pension arrangements;
	(2)  whether prisoners on reception into prison are asked whether they have previously served in the armed forces; and how any such information is recorded;
	(3)  whether he is taking steps to ensure that former military personnel sentenced to prison disclose their military service on reception into prison.

Crispin Blunt: There has been no assessment carried out to-date.
	Prison reception staff are not specifically required to ask newly-arrived prisoners whether they have served in the armed forces. However, prisoners do discuss aspects of their background, including their previous employment, with staff during the induction and assessment processes and if this information is disclosed, it will be recorded on the prisoner central database and can be shared with other Government Departments and agencies, both internal and external.
	There are no current plans to introduce amendments to the existing procedures.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many extra days' imprisonment have been given to prisoners for assaults committed on (a) prison staff and (b) prisoners in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The adjudication process exists to allow prison governors and independent adjudicators to deal with breaches of prison discipline. Additional days are one of the punishments that can be given for proven adjudication offences. Data is held and published on proven adjudication offences and the punishments given.
	The following table gives the total number of proven violence offences, and the number where additional days were given as punishment. Data on punishments for assaults have been provided for 2007-09, but this more detailed breakdown is not available for 2010 and 2011.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Number of violence offences punished by additional days awarded 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 (1) 2011 (1) 
			 Offences punished by additional days awarded:      
			 Violence 1,028 872 854 913 1,082 
			 Assault: 946 800 737 — — 
			 On staff 600 460 393 — — 
			 On a prisoner 225 210 213 — — 
			 All offences of violence(2) 17,667 18,788 17,742 16,155 16,655 
			 All punishments for violence 30,574 33,135 32,690 32,855 31,096 
			 (1) Data quality issues introduced as a result of changes to prison recording systems for adjudications prevent a more detailed breakdown of offence type in 2010 and 2011. (2) The number of offences punished and punishments given are not equal because in many cases two or more punishments are given for a single offence. Source: Offender Management Statistics 2007 to 2011

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many assaults on (a) prisoners and (b) prison staff have resulted in admittance to an intensive care unit in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many incidents of assaults on (a) prisoners, (b) prison staff, (c) prisoners requiring hospitalisation and (d) prison staff requiring hospitalisation were recorded in prisons in the UK in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The information is as follows:
	(1) Information on the number of assaults resulting in admittance to an intensive care unit is not recorded centrally. We do record overall numbers of assaults incidents in which victims were admitted to a hospital as an in-patient (see table 2 as follows).
	(2) In answer to parts (a) and (b), table 1 as follows shows the number of prisoner on prisoner assault incidents in England and Wales and numbers of assaults on staff from 2006-10.
	
		
			 Table 1: Assault incidents in prison custody, England and Wales 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 (a) Prisoner on prisoner assaults 11,530 12,018 12,834 12,150 11,252 
			 (b) Assaults on staff 3,530 3,273 3,211 3,083 2,856 
		
	
	As more than one person may be assaulted during an incident, these categories overlap and should not be added. The figures are from assaults tables 8 and 11 in safety in custody assaults 2010 which are available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody
	Prisoner on prisoner assaults exclude a small percentage of incidents in which prisoners may have been assaulted by others for example visitors.
	In answer to parts (c) and (d), we only produce overall figures for assault-related attendances at hospital as an in-patient. As more than one person may be assaulted during an incident it is not always possible to distinguish from centrally recorded data who was hospitalised. Table 2 as follows shows the number of assault-related attendances at hospital as an in-patient compared with the overall number of assault incidents.
	
		
			 Table 2: Assault-related hospital attendances England and Wales 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Total assault incidents(1) 15,057 15,272 15,959 15,185 14,356 
			 Of which:      
			 (c+d) Attendance at hospital as inpatient 235 211 237 196 213 
			 Percentage attendance at hospital 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.5 
			 (1 )The figures are from assaults table 13 in Safety in Custody Assaults 2010.

Probate: Winchester

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the Bournemouth caller office of the Winchester District Probate Registry has been open in the last six months; and how many applications have been made to attend the office for a grant of representation before a member of staff of the Probate Service.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Bournemouth caller office has not been opened in the last six months.
	A full list of appointments (50-60 applications) is required to justify on cost grounds the opening of a probate caller office. All applicants are therefore given an earlier appointment date at Winchester to avoid unnecessary delay in them receiving their grant. Applicants also have the option of swearing an oath, prepared by staff of the Probate Service, in front of a solicitor of their choice.
	Over the last six months, 160 personal applicants (out of 3568) initially asked to attend the caller office at Bournemouth to swear the oath in support of their application. However, when they were informed the office would only be opened when a full list of appointments had been requested for Bournemouth, all but one applicant has been happy to take an earlier appointment at Winchester or swear their oath before a solicitor.

Russia

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the purpose of his visit to Russia was; who accompanied him; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The purpose of my visit to Russia was to attend the St Petersburg International Legal Forum; to promote UK legal services; and discuss other important topics, including human rights and the rule of law.
	I met Alexander Konovalov, to discuss justice cooperation, rule of law, the protection of human rights (including the cases of Sergei Magnitsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky) and legal sector reform. I discussed a number of justice reform matters with the US Attorney-General, Eric Holder. I also met a number of other Justice Ministers during the Forum.
	Outside of the Forum, I took part in a round table discussion with a mixed audience of researchers, business people, judiciary and local government officials where I spoke about the Bribery Act 2010 and anti-corruption measures.
	I discussed legal sector regulation and its impact on attracting foreign business and the benefits of continuing judicial exchanges through the Slynn Foundation with Anton Ivanov, President of the Russian Supreme Commercial Court.
	I discussed the judicial reform agenda in Russia. Russia's relationship with the European Court of Human Rights and human rights more generally with Valery Zorkin, Chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court.
	I also met a number of Russian academics and legal and human rights experts.
	I was accompanied on this visit by my Parliamentary Private Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Wyre and Preston North (Mr Wallace), my Principal Private Secretary and one policy official.

Translation Services

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many times he has met (a) the Association of Police and Court Interpreters, (b) the Association of Sign Language Interpreters, (c) the National Union of Professional Interpreters and Translators, (d) the Professional Interpreters Alliance, (e) the Society of Official Metropolitan Interpreters, (f) the Society for Public Service Interpreting and (g) Visual Language Professionals since May 2010;
	(2)  if he will meet (a) the Association of Police and Court Interpreters, (b) the Association of Sign Language Interpreters, (c) the National Union of Professional Interpreters and Translators, (d) the Professional Interpreters Alliance, (e) the Society of Official Metropolitan Interpreters, (f) the Society for Public Service Interpreting and (g) Visual Language Professionals to discuss the provision of interpreting facilities in the justice system.

Crispin Blunt: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), has not met with these representative interpreter groups however the Ministry sought interpreters’ views on the industry during a series of four road shows during late 2009; met various stakeholders in August and September 2010 and consulted key interested parties, including the police, on the proposed Framework Agreement as part of the procurement process and received a wide range of views in response. Now that the Framework Agreement has been implemented the Ministry continues to receive, consider and respond to correspondence from interested parties and groups. We will consider all meeting requests received.

Trials

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions a re-trial was required because of interpreting failures in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record the number of re trials in either the magistrates or Crown courts. We are aware of one reported instance of a re-trial ordered due to interpreting failure during 2012. Information is not available for 2010-11.

Academies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in (a) Coventry South constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) nationally have applied for academy status since May 2010.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is as follows.
	As at 1 May 2012 in:
	(a) Coventry South constituency, four schools have applied to convert to Academy status;
	(b) Coventry, nine schools have applied to convert to Academy status;
	(c) The West Midlands, 205 schools have applied to convert to Academy status;
	(d) Nationally, 2,160 schools have applied to convert to Academy status.
	Information about schools that have applied to convert to become Academies is available on the Department for Education website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/b00208569/open-academies

Adoption: Ethnic Groups

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children awaiting adoption are black and minority ethnic.

Tim Loughton: The proportion of children awaiting adoption who are black and minority ethnic was 16% (970) of all children who were waiting to be adopted (5,990), at 31 March 2011, the latest date for which this information is available.
	The data items in relation to whether adoption from care is/is no longer the plan were introduced on a mandatory basis in the SSDA903 return from local authorities in 2008-09. There may have been some children for whom the decision was made that they should be adopted in earlier years and are still awaiting adoption; however these have not been included in this response due to the partial nature of the data received for earlier years.
	The decision that a looked after child should be placed for adoption is made by their local authority but a child cannot be placed for adoption without either a placement order from the court or parental consent. Children who are waiting to be adopted include those who have already been placed for adoption (but an adoption order has not yet been made or applied for), those for whom the local authority has applied for a placement order and those where the local authority is identifying a family suitable to meet the needs of the child. Once a child is placed for adoption, it is for the prospective adopters to apply to the court for an adoption order. Being “placed for adoption” means the child goes to live with or continue to live with prospective adopters.
	Information on adopted children can be found in the Statistical First Release ‘Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011’, which is available on the Department’s website via the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml

Children: Abuse

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people were charged for offences under section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Garnier: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Attorney-General.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the number of people charged with offences under section 1 of the Children and Youth Persons Act 1933 (CYPA 1933). This information could be obtained only by examining all of the CPS’s case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	The CPS central management information database does provide a record of the number of offences charged under section 1 CYPA 1933 and in respect of which a prosecution was commenced in the magistrates court rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. The data is available from 2004-05 and the figures are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Offences 
			 2004-05 1,906 
			 2005-06 1,846 
			 2006-07 1,491 
			 2007-08 1,662 
			 2008-09 1,818 
			 2009-10 2,266 
			 2010-11 2,334 
			 2011-12 2,276

Complaints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints about the work of his Department and each of its non-departmental public bodies were received in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: In 2010-11 the Department received 195 complaints and in 2011-12 it received 349. These range from complaints about the handling of a telephone conversation to complaints about third party institutions.
	Central data is not held for all non-departmental public bodies, but we do hold the following information.
	The Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) had 11 non-academy related complaints in 2010-11 and 10 in 2011-12. Over that two year period there were 13 complaints relating to academies in YPLA.
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) received 908 complaints in 2010-11, and in 2011-12 it received 321 (as the QCDA to September 2011, and as the Standards and Teaching Agency from that date).
	Partnerships for Schools received six complaints in 2010-11 and two in 2011-12.
	The National College for School Leadership (NCSL) received 24 complaints in 2010-11 and 35 in 2011-12.
	The Office of the Children's Commissioner received no formal complaints over this period.
	Anthony Douglas, the chief executive of CAFCASS has written to the hon. Member answering this query and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 22 May 2012
	I am writing to you in order to provide answers to the Parliamentary Question that you tabled recently.
	The following table indicates the number of complaints Cafcass has received in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			  Number of complaints received 
			 2010-11 1.064 
			 2011-12 1.264

Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many letters to Ministers in his Department were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The information requested by the hon. Member is in the following tables:
	
		
			 Ministerial replies sent 
			  Ministerial Replies sent to MPs Ministerial replies sent to others Total ministerial replies sent 
			 2010/11 10,232 7,934 18,166 
			 2011/12 10,941 3,933 14,874 
		
	
	
		
			 Ministerial replies sent late 
			  Late replies—over 3 months from receipt of which from MPs Late replies—over 6 months from receipt of which from MPs Total of which from MPs 
			 2010/11 1,429 990 19 11 1,448 1,001 
			 2011/12 428 294 7 4 435 298 
		
	
	
		
			 Ministerial correspondence cases—No Reply Required (1) 
			  Cases for which no reply required Of which from MPs 
			 2010/11 2,916 108 
			 2011/12 1,028 86 
			 (1) ‘No Reply Required’ category includes correspondence such as ‘thank you’ letters; cases where a correspondent has asked for no reply; correspondence sent for information only; where the correspondence resulted in a meeting with the correspondent.

Dominic Cummings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings his special adviser, Dominic Cummings has had with external organisations since his appointment; and on what dates.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 24 May 2012
	Mr Cummings meets with a variety of people from different organisations as part of his role as special adviser.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received education maintenance allowance in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: During the 2010/11 academic year, the final year of the education maintenance (EMA) programme:
	(a) Data on education maintenance allowance (EMA) was collected at local authority level. Data on the number of EMA payments made to people in the Jarrow constituency is therefore unavailable.
	(b) 2,409 people in South Tyneside received EMA payments.
	(c) 37,213 people in the north east of England received EMA payments.
	(d) 636,496 people in England received EMA payments. The Department does not hold data on EMA for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Middlesbrough

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the amount of education maintenance allowance paid to residents of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in 2010-11; and what estimate he has made of the total value of discretionary 16-19 bursaries that will be paid in 2011-12 in respect of students who are residents of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect constituency-level data on the education maintenance allowance (EMA) or the 16-19 Bursary Fund. The 2011/12 academic year is the first in which the 16-19 Bursary Fund has been operating, and a breakdown is not yet available on the proportion paid as discretionary payments and on the number of £1,200 bursaries paid to vulnerable groups.
	Data for 2010/11 and 2011/12 academic years are available on the total EMA and 16-19 Bursary payments for the two local authorities which the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency falls within. This includes data on EMA transitional arrangements which are in place this year.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Local authority 2010/11 EMA payments 2011/12 EMA transitional payments (year to date) 2011/12 Bursary Funding 
			 Middlesbrough 1,900,625 868,810 563,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1,686,275 394,740 380,000 
			 Total 3,586,900 1,263,550 943,000 
			 Note: By phasing out EMA this year the Government will have reduced spending from around £580 million a year for EMA to £180 million a year by more effectively targeting the funding at those young people who genuinely need financial support to continue in further education.

Financial Services: Education

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the provision of teaching of financial literacy in primary schools.

Nick Gibb: Finance education is currently taught as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. The last OFSTED survey of PSHE, in 2010, included limited evidence about the teaching of personal finance education because the subject was relatively new. We are looking at the quality of finance education as part of a review of PSHE to determine how we can improve the quality of all PSHE teaching.
	We set out, in our White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, how schools will be freed from central Government direction, and how we will trust the professional judgment of teachers to decide on the teaching that best meets the needs of their pupils. Consistent with that principle, we have also protected front line school budgets, and reduced central Government programmes, so that schools can also decide how to use their resources to meet local priorities. We therefore have no plans to create a database of personal finance education teaching resources and volunteers. Schools are aware that there are a number of sources available from which they can obtain useful information, including, for example, the Personal Finance Education Group, who have a wide range of resources on their website aimed at teachers and finance education practitioners.

Free School Meals: South East

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children received free school meals in (a) Dartford, (b) Kent and (c) the South East in each of the last five years; and what proportion of eligible children in each area took them in each year.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is shown in the tables.
	Information on how many pupils meet the eligibility criteria but do not make a claim is not available.
	Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals as at January 2011 is published in the Statistical First Release 'Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2011' available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001012/index.shtml
	
		
			 Maintained nursery, state-funded primary, state-funded secondary, special schools and pupil referral units (1,2,3,4,5) , January 2007 to 2011: Dartford constituency, Kent local authority, South East and England 
			  Number and percentage of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			  2007 
			  No on roll (6,7) No of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (6,7) % known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			     
			 England 6,894,390 1,105,690 16.0 
			     
			 South East 1,068,680 102,755 9.6 
			     
			 Kent 193,595 20,482 10.6 
			     
			 Dartford Constituency 15,133 1,335 8.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			  2008 
			  No on roll (6,7) No of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (6,7) % known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			     
			 England 6,829,670 1,076,240 15.8 
			     
			 South East 1,061,970 100,420 9.5 
			     
			 Kent 192,271 20,042 10.4 
			     
			 Dartford Constituency 15,053 1,275 8.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			  2009 
			  No on roll (6,7) No of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (6,7) % known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			     
			 England 6,786,750 1,096,525 16.2 
			     
			 South East 1,060,780 106,180 10.0 
			     
			 Kent 190,859 22,295 11.7 
			     
			 Dartford Constituency 15,079 1,407 9.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			  2010 (5) 
			  No on roll (6,7) No of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (6,7) % known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			     
			 England 6,796,500 1,184,920 17.4 
			     
			 South East 1,065,760 118,365 11.1 
			     
			 Kent 191,369 25,160 13.1 
			     
			 Dartford Constituency 15,259 1,668 10.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			  2011 (5) 
			  No on roll (6,7) No of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals (6,7) % known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			     
			 England 6,803,755 1,227,110 18.0 
			     
			 South East 1,070,110 127,660 11.9 
			     
			 Kent 191,211 26,600 13.9 
			     
			 Dartford Constituency 15,409 1,790 11.6 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies. (4) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (5) From 2010, includes pupil referral units (when the collection became pupil level). (6) Includes full time and part time pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarding pupils. In pupil referral units, also includes pupils registered with other providers and further education colleges. (7) Pupils who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15. National and regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: School Census

Further and Higher Education

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of school leavers in (a) England, (b) the north-west and (c) Lancashire enrolled in (i) further education and (ii) higher education courses in 2011.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not currently publish statistics on school leavers.
	The best current proxy for school leaver statistics are the data on participation in education post-16 published in a Department for Education (DFE) Statistical First Release (SFR) entitled ‘Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England’. The latest data on participation at local authority level relate to a snapshot at the end of 2010, part way through the 2010/11 academic year.
	Table 1 shows the proportions of young people of academic age 16, 17 and 18 year old in England in further and higher education. Table 2 shows the proportion of academic age 16 and 17 year old in further education and higher education in the north-west region and Lancashire.
	
		
			 Table 1: Participation in further education and higher education in England at end 2010 
			  Percentage of cohort 
			 Academic age 16  
			 Further education 92.3 
			 Higher education 0.4 
			   
			 Academic age 17  
			 Further education 80.1 
			 Higher education 1.1 
			   
			 Academic age 18  
			 Further education 29.2 
			 Higher education 24.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Participation in further education and higher education in the north-west and Lancashire at end 2010 
			  Percentage of cohort 
			  North-west Lancashire 
			 Academic age 16   
			 Further education 91 88 
			 Higher education 0 0 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 Academic age 17   
			 Further education 78 77 
			 Higher education 1 1 
			 Notes: 1. Participation figures for 18-year-olds are not available disaggregated by local authority. 2. The definition of further and higher education is made in terms of the type of institution attended and not the level of study. Further education comprises maintained schools, academies and city technology colleges, independent schools, sixth form colleges and colleges of further education, tertiary colleges and specialist colleges. Higher education comprises higher education institutions. 
		
	
	The first statistics on students progressing from schools and colleges will be published in July 2012 as an experimental statistical release. Known as ‘destination measures’, the first version will track progression into education destinations at the end of key stage 4 and the end of key stage 5 from schools, sixth form colleges and general further education (FE) colleges. As such the data will cover different cohorts of young people, for those at the end of key stage 4 will usually be aged 16, while those at the end of key stage 5 will usually be aged 18. The data published in July 2012 will look at those transitioning between academic year 2008/09 and 2009/10.

GCSE

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education further to the answer of 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1235W, on GCSE, what proportion of pupils achieved five GCSE A* to C grades, including mathematics and English, in schools (a) without and (b) with sixth forms in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 GCSE and equivalent results of pupils (1)  by sixth form provision (2)  for each local authority (3)  and region, 2006/07 to 2010/11 (4, 5)  (revised), England 
			   Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent including English and Mathematics GCSEs 
			   Without sixth form With sixth form 
			 Region/local authority LA/region number 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 North East E12000001 37.6 40.9 44.7 51.6 56.1 47.2 50.1 52.8 55.9 60.0 
			 Darlington E06000005 42.4 47.0 49.1 53.4 65.4 63.7 64.7 68.9 70.2 78.3 
			 Durham E06000047 36.7 39.5 43.5 53.5 58.2 49.5 51.3 55.9 59.7 63.4 
			 Gateshead E08000020 27.9 28.8 32.6 42.5 41.4 50.2 51.5 56.4 57.0 64.6 
			 Hartlepool E06000001 35.5 36.4 44.9 50.5 52.1 51.2 49.5 61.5 46.9 68.9 
			 Middlesbrough E06000002 29.2 32.0 34.1 38.1 35.1 51.2 55.5 52.3 55.1 50.5 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne E08000021 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 38.5 39.7 42.4 50.0 53.4 
			 North Tyneside E08000022 49.3 52.1 50.8 51.3 59.8 47.6 50.9 55.6 54.9 59.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Northumberland E06000048 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 47.0 51.5 52.6 54.8 58.5 
			 Redcar and Cleveland E06000003 37.8 45.6 50.0 53.5 58.0 40.6 44.0 46.1 53.4 56.8 
			 South Tyneside E08000023 39.3 41.4 45.2 53.6 59.2 51.3 48.8 57.9 57.7 59.0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees E06000004 41.6 44.4 45.3 49.4 56.9 58.6 66.7 63.9 65.9 71.2 
			 Sunderland E08000024 36.1 39.8 45.3 54.2 56.1 51.3 58.4 52.0 63.3 64.7 
			             
			 North West E12000002 40.8 43.6 46.9 52.8 56.6 49.7 52.5 54.3 59.2 61.8 
			 Blackburn With Darwen E06000008 40.7 43.0 42.8 53.0 58.3 56.9 57.5 48.4 53.3 55.7 
			 Blackpool E06000009 34.8 33.6 38.9 48.0 46.7 37.1 44.5 41.3 50.9 48.4 
			 Bolton E08000001 34.4 38.9 40.9 49.0 59.2 50.3 55.7 56.6 59.0 60.8 
			 Bury E08000002 52.1 54.4 58.0 61.3 61.4 59.4 64.8 66.2 68.8 74.9 
			 Cheshire(6) n/a 41.9 45.0 n/a n/a n/a 54.7 55.6 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cheshire East E06000049 n/a n/a 45.7 51.7 52.9 n/a n/a 61.4 66.3 68.3 
			 Cheshire West and Chester E06000050 n/a n/a 51.5 54.6 58.8 n/a n/a 51.0 57.6 60.5 
			 Cumbria E10000006 40.1 47.5 47.5 55.0 54.1 47.4 48.6 50.2 58.0 58.2 
			 Halton E06000006 40.9 51.9 46.8 53.3 60.5 44.1 45.4 41.9 45.7 52.0 
			 Knowsley E08000011 26.4 29.1 35.0 36.0 39.5 28.7 34.1 32.0 46.2 46.7 
			 Lancashire E10000017 46.3 48.9 51.5 56.2 58.4 55.3 58.0 60.0 61.2 66.5 
			 Liverpool E08000012 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 38.0 42.2 45.2 54.3 56.2 
			 Manchester E08000003 31.0 34.0 36.3 46.1 54.1 38.2 47.1 47.3 46.3 49.9 
			 Oldham E08000004 32.3 36.3 41.2 47.9 54.0 61.1 60.0 60.0 61.4 67.5 
			 Rochdale E08000005 40.2 39.6 46.7 52.5 51.2 47.6 49.5 50.0 50.2 58.2 
			 Salford E08000006 38.6 41.9 49.8 52.7 55.8 38.1 35.6 34.9 43.7 47.3 
			 Sefton E08000014 38.1 43.7 46.7 49.2 57.9 52.3 57.0 58.7 60.9 61.3 
			 St Helens E08000013 37.2 40.3 43.3 46.2 49.7 45.3 48.1 51.6 58.5 61.1 
			 Stockport E08000007 51.1 54.5 57.2 63.1 66.9 0.0 25.4 23.7 45.6 36.8 
			 Tameside E08000008 40.3 40.3 46.6 50.3 56.4 54.7 53.2 43.7 51.4 54.4 
			 Trafford E08000009 35.5 40.1 40.0 48.3 47.9 74.8 77.6 76.1 78.7 79.9 
			 Warrington E06000007 43.0 43.0 51.6 52.4 56.3 53.3 58.1 64.1 65.8 68.3 
			 Wigan E08000010 44.1 45.2 48.0 55.4 57.4 49.8 51.3 54.5 61.1 57.3 
			 Wirral E08000015 30.1 34.7 38.0 45.6 56.9 54.4 55.1 58.5 62.7 67.9 
			             
			 Yorkshire and the Humber E12000003 37.2 39.0 43.2 48.3 51.6 46.5 48.4 50.5 54.8 56.9 
			 Barnsley E08000016 29.7 32.4 38.1 38.0 42.0 42.2 37.9 48.6 54.3 60.2 
			 Bradford E08000032 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 36.7 37.3 42.2 45.0 47.5 
			 Calderdale E08000033 22.4 33.2 30.8 35.2 46.6 47.7 51.9 52.4 56.6 60.7 
			 Doncaster E08000017 34.9 40.0 44.6 70.2 80.8 38.4 39.8 43.3 50.4 53.3 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire E06000011 57.6 51.6 59.9 62.7 61.3 50.8 52.8 52.2 58.7 55.5 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of E06000010 29.1 27.9 36.2 41.9 45.2 45.8 53.3 44.2 47.0 53.4 
			 Kirklees E08000034 40.2 42.8 45.4 50.2 56.9 53.1 55.6 56.4 63.5 68.9 
			 Leeds E08000035 41.7 43.9 43.7 46.9 50.6 42.1 46.7 46.1 51.0 54.0 
			 North East Lincolnshire E06000012 32.4 35.4 40.7 52.8 50.1 61.9 49.1 55.1 57.7 60.6 
			 North Lincolnshire E06000013 40.6 43.2 45.2 50.3 53.0 41.8 36.9 48.6 56.1 51.7 
			 North Yorkshire E10000023 43.4 44.3 48.6 52.8 56.6 60.3 60.8 64.8 66.7 67.3 
			 Rotherham E08000018 37.7 35.8 41.9 46.2 49.8 41.3 45.4 52.0 55.0 62.6 
			 Sheffield E08000019 34.1 35.3 40.0 45.6 45.7 52.3 52.4 53.9 58.1 58.3 
			 Wakefield E08000036 43.1 49.4 48.5 54.1 58.3 53.1 55.7 51.5 59.1 56.6 
			 York E06000014 48.1 46.9 54.4 58.8 59.0 59.7 59.5 62.8 59.3 64.5 
			             
			 East Midlands E12000004 34.2 37.7 42.3 47.9 50.1 47.4 49.8 52.3 55.6 59.2 
			 Derby E06000015 31.1 43.2 41.2 53.1 57.3 44.0 52.2 47.9 57.0 57.7 
			 Derbyshire E10000007 39.8 42.9 46.4 49.9 52.9 50.3 51.0 53.3 57.6 61.3 
			 Leicester E06000016 38.1 40.8 44.7 50.8 51.5 32.7 38.0 44.6 43.6 55.7 
			 Leicestershire E10000018 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 48.8 51.9 52.6 55.3 56.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Lincolnshire E10000019 29.0 32.6 37.9 42.0 46.1 61.3 63.4 65.9 68.1 69.5 
			 Northamptonshire E10000021 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 42.3 45.4 49.0 52.0 55.4 
			 Nottingham E06000018 25.9 26.8 35.4 41.8 41.4 47.7 50.0 51.2 46.9 51.7 
			 Nottinghamshire E10000024 24.7 30.7 40.9 48.3 36.9 42.0 43.5 47.3 51.5 58.0 
			 Rutland E06000017 57.5 61.5 60.4 62.7 61.8 59.1 52.6 53.8 58.6 58.5 
			             
			 West Midlands E12000005 41.2 43.8 46.5 53.3 56.8 44.7 47.7 49.9 55.1 58.3 
			 Birmingham E08000025 30.9 36.6 40.5 48.7 52.9 47.3 50.4 51.7 58.1 61.0 
			 Coventry E08000026 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 39.2 42.0 48.4 52.2 55.5 
			 Dudley E08000027 41.5 44.4 47.1 55.3 57.4 57.5 64.0 62.8 67.9 69.2 
			 Herefordshire E06000019 53.3 53.0 56.1 57.9 61.0 49.2 52.1 47.7 53.5 51.6 
			 Sandwell E08000028 30.1 28.4 39.5 35.7 44.0 30.3 32.2 37.3 44.6 50.7 
			 Shropshire E06000051 55.2 57.6 59.8 59.6 61.6 50.5 49.9 52.3 55.2 57.9 
			 Solihull E08000029 62.9 66.7 62.0 67.0 67.5 45.4 45.6 48.4 54.9 57.1 
			 Staffordshire E10000028 42.8 46.1 49.9 52.7 60.0 46.4 50.6 51.1 54.4 55.9 
			 Stoke-on-Trent E06000021 31.3 32.4 36.2 45.0 45.9 52.5 59.3 55.5 64.2 62.8 
			 Telford and Wrekin E06000020 33.6 35.2 38.3 49.4 52.1 72.9 80.4 70.8 75.5 75.4 
			 Walsall E08000030 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 35.6 40.7 44.1 49.6 56.5 
			 Warwickshire E10000031 40.0 41.2 45.0 51.7 56.7 53.0 58.0 59.0 63.5 62.7 
			 Wolverhampton E08000031 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 37.1 40.1 43.7 52.5 58.0 
			 Worcestershire E10000034 48.3 50.6 45.6 61.3 64.4 48.2 47.2 50.2 54.1 59.7 
			             
			 East of England E12000006 41.4 44.8 47.1 52.7 55.4 51.9 53.1 54.2 57.8 61.1 
			 Bedfordshire(6) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 47.8 49.9 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Bedford E06000055 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 48.7 51.5 56.9 
			 Cambridgeshire E10000003 49.7 58.8 64.9 65.4 65.0 49.6 51.1 52.4 56.2 56.5 
			 Central Bedfordshire E06000056 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 50.7 54.9 60.1 
			 Essex E10000012 38.6 41.3 42.5 49.0 53.6 53.1 54.4 55.3 58.4 61.5 
			 Hertfordshire E10000015 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 56.6 58.8 60.2 65.1 67.8 
			 Luton E06000032 39.0 46.7 46.0 53.8 57.8 55.1 40.3 46.9 46.9 53.3 
			 Norfolk E10000020 46.3 48.7 50.6 54.8 57.7 44.8 47.6 49.9 50.8 54.5 
			 Peterborough E06000031 23.8 n/a n/a n/a n/a 38.3 37.4 40.8 45.8 50.0 
			 Southend-on-Sea E06000033 30.7 n/a n/a n/a n/a 56.4 55.7 58.7 62.5 65.7 
			 Suffolk E10000029 38.3 37.6 41.1 45.6 45.0 52.1 51.3 52.7 55.2 59.7 
			 Thurrock E06000034 41.0 40.8 45.8 56.1 58.6 37.4 46.4 48.5 57.9 62.3 
			             
			 London E12000007 39.3 42.9 46.8 52.8 58.1 50.8 53.3 56.3 59.8 63.4 
			 Inner London E13000001 37.4 40.6 45.3 50.5 56.3 46.0 49.4 52.8 57.0 62.0 
			 Camden E09000007 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 46.4 46.6 51.8 54.2 61.2 
			 City of London E09000001 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Hackney E09000012 38.0 37.4 43.1 50.0 52.1 44.7 44.9 55.1 58.0 59.5 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham E09000013 56.1 52.2 63.4 66.7 72.7 62.1 62.7 68.6 72.9 74.2 
			 Haringey E09000014 29.3 34.6 37.9 43.8 51.6 44.6 48.9 52.7 52.0 62.4 
			 Islington E09000019 36.4 35.5 44.2 47.2 45.8 39.1 43.8 46.6 53.3 53.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea E09000020 46.1 53.1 57.0 63.3 62.8 63.7 64.4 72.1 76.7 79.6 
			 Lambeth E09000022 36.7 40.3 58.7 60.8 60.5 44.2 51.3 54.5 53.5 63.2 
			 Lewisham E09000023 34.8 42.2 42.1 48.1 53.9 45.7 51.7 52.3 48.7 58.3 
			 Newham E09000025 40.5 42.2 44.5 49.0 57.0 69.6 70.5 67.8 77.9 70.0 
			 Southwark E09000028 40.8 44.6 60.0 57.3 47.9 37.9 43.6 44.5 56.0 58.7 
			 Tower Hamlets E09000030 28.9 35.3 40.3 49.8 58.8 41.1 44.9 49.1 53.3 63.2 
			 Wandsworth E09000032 27.1 30.7 37.7 45.9 60.7 49.8 52.5 54.0 59.7 61.8 
			 Westminster E09000033 33.3 49.5 51.5 60.0 58.7 47.0 49.7 52.9 62.7 63.5 
			             
			 Outer London E13000002 41.6 45.6 48.6 55.9 60.9 52.4 54.5 57.5 60.7 63.8 
			 Barking and Dagenham E09000002 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 39.7 39.2 45.1 51.6 57.2 
			 Barnet E09000003 52.4 46.2 52.8 55.4 60.2 60.4 62.6 62.4 68.5 69.7 
			 Bexley E09000004 47.7 51.9 59.6 67.5 63.5 50.8 52.1 57.6 59.4 64.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Brent E09000005 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 51.2 55.9 57.3 60.3 62.1 
			 Bromley E09000006 41.5 n/a n/a n/a n/a 56.9 60.2 63.4 65.8 67.9 
			 Croydon E09000008 29.4 32.6 38.1 42.3 55.3 53.7 55.7 57.8 57.9 62.8 
			 Ealing E09000009 31.5 35.1 36.8 52.0 36.9 50.6 53.5 55.4 59.4 59.2 
			 Enfield E09000010 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 47.6 48.1 50.5 55.3 59.5 
			 Greenwich E09000011 35.6 47.7 48.6 57.5 65.1 32.2 35.7 40.0 46.1 50.1 
			 Harrow E09000015 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 56.1 57.7 60.8 60.7 64.6 
			 Havering E09000016 46.4 48.6 49.6 56.6 59.5 73.1 74.0 79.8 77.4 76.3 
			 Hillingdon E09000017 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 45.1 46.6 52.3 56.1 59.7 
			 Hounslow E09000018 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 51.1 52.3 57.0 59.0 62.8 
			 Kingston upon Thames E09000021 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 61.8 62.7 68.4 68.8 71.2 
			 Merton E09000024 28.6 34.9 27.6 34.8 42.2 42.2 48.9 52.4 56.6 63.6 
			 Redbridge E09000026 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 61.9 64.4 64.9 69.8 69.2 
			 Richmond upon Thames E09000027 49.3 54.7 56.2 62.0 73.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Sutton E09000029 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 66.2 68.1 69.0 71.5 75.7 
			 Waltham Forest E09000031 35.3 31.7 41.4 n/a n/a 43.2 45.8 47.0 51.4 54.8 
			             
			 South East E12000008 47.0 50.2 52.7 56.2 59.5 51.2 53.1 55.0 58.9 60.8 
			 Bracknell Forest E06000036 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 48.4 51.5 51.3 56.9 59.6 
			 Brighton and Hove E06000043 42.9 44.4 47.3 48.7 56.6 46.5 47.9 44.6 52.0 52.3 
			 Buckinghamshire E10000002 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 60.9 63.6 65.7 67.3 70.0 
			 East Sussex E10000011 47.3 51.0 53.8 58.1 63.8 39.9 42.0 49.0 53.6 55.4 
			 Hampshire E10000014 51.8 54.1 56.2 59.3 61.8 52.3 56.2 55.5 61.9 62.7 
			 Isle of Wight E06000046 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 42.2 41.3 41.6 45.5 49.1 
			 Kent E10000016 19.3 21.4 27.3 31.3 38.9 51.6 52.4 54.0 59.0 61.1 
			 Medway E06000035 15.9 18.4 14.8 n/a n/a 48.0 48.8 52.9 53.6 55.7 
			 Milton Keynes E06000042 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 39.6 42.1 48.0 51.5 52.1 
			 Oxfordshire E10000025 51.2 59.0 59.7 60.3 59.8 47.7 49.3 52.1 57.0 57.2 
			 Portsmouth E06000044 33.6 39.9 40.9 44.6 47.3 n/a 0.0 2.4 0.0 2.4 
			 Reading E06000038 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 47.7 53.4 53.7 55.2 56.6 
			 Slough E06000039 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 57.6 59.9 59.6 63.5 68.5 
			 Southampton E06000045 36.2 39.9 43.3 49.1 52.0 67.3 66.3 69.1 62.4 62.8 
			 Surrey E10000030 50.0 51.7 54.8 57.1 59.9 57.5 60.8 62.2 65.9 66.8 
			 West Berkshire E06000037 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 53.4 52.9 54.9 60.7 60.1 
			 West Sussex E10000032 53.1 55.7 57.1 60.7 62.9 47.1 49.4 49.5 52.5 56.6 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead E06000040 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 54.9 57.9 59.7 63.6 63.3 
			 Wokingham E06000041 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 57.9 61.3 63.6 65.9 68.2 
			             
			 South West E12000009 41.7 43.4 46.8 50.6 54.2 50.6 52.7 54.9 58.4 60.2 
			 Isles of Scilly E06000053 64.7 69.6 80.0 68.2 68.4 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Bath and North East Somerset E06000022 42.9 51.4 52.1 51.9 57.9 52.8 58.8 62.0 63.8 65.9 
			 Bournemouth E06000028 35.5 36.0 40.2 44.0 46.5 64.2 66.3 65.8 72.5 70.7 
			 Bristol, City of E06000023 33.1 40.4 42.6 47.5 58.4 31.4 34.1 40.5 46.7 47.1 
			 Cornwall E06000052 43.8 43.9 50.4 54.6 55.0 44.5 43.6 48.0 53.5 54.9 
			 Devon E10000008 43.9 47.4 48.5 53.1 56.7 48.6 51.3 54.3 56.3 59.9 
			 Dorset E10000009 40.7 39.9 45.8 53.9 55.2 51.9 56.0 56.5 60.6 60.4 
			 Gloucestershire E10000013 43.0 44.7 47.1 49.6 52.4 60.8 63.5 63.9 66.3 68.7 
			 North Somerset E06000024 38.8 38.3 42.7 44.1 51.2 54.9 58.7 57.7 63.7 62.0 
			 Plymouth E06000026 13.7 5.4 n/a n/a n/a 44.8 47.0 49.4 54.3 57.1 
			 Poole E06000029 26.3 41.8 34.4 23.2 20.8 56.7 57.8 58.5 57.5 59.3 
			 Somerset E10000027 44.4 45.2 45.5 50.9 54.0 50.9 49.5 54.1 59.0 60.9 
			 South Gloucestershire E06000025 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 45.7 48.5 49.5 56.3 56.0 
			 Swindon E06000030 39.5 41.4 46.3 50.6 53.7 53.5 41.5 46.1 50.9 52.7 
			 Torbay E06000027 30.4 28.6 39.9 37.8 43.3 59.1 56.0 60.2 61.4 63.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Wiltshire E06000054 46.6 45.6 51.4 52.3 59.7 51.1 56.2 57.4 57.4 61.3 
			             
			 England (maintained sector) (1) E92000001 40.7 43.5 46.9 52.3 55.9 49.2 51.5 53.6 57.6 60.4 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year or at the end of key stage 4. (2) Presence of sixth form based on school’s status in Edubase on 28 March 2012, so represents a snapshot at this point in time. (3) Local authority, region and the England (maintained sector) figures in this table do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. Local authority and regional figures cover achievements in maintained schools including academies but exclude hospital schools, pupil referral units (PRUs) and alternative provision (AP). (4) Figures For 2010/11 are revised, all other figures are final. The figures given from 2009/10 onwards includes iGCSEs. (5) Including attempts and achievement in previous academic years. (6) In 2009, Cheshire local authority split into Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. Similarly, Bedfordshire LA split into Bedford and Central Bedfordshire.

Home Education

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were being home-schooled in (a) Hampshire and (b) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of children being home-schooled in Hampshire or in England. In 2007, York Consulting published a report on the prevalence of home education in England. The report estimated that about 20,000 home educated children were known to their local authority.

Meetings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what dates (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) senior officials in his Department have met representatives of (i) the Institute for Public Policy Research, (ii) the Taxpayers' Alliance, (iii) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (iv) the Child Poverty Action Group, (v) ResPublica, (vi) the Centre for Social Justice and (vii) Policy Exchange; and if he will publish the minutes and agendas of these meetings.

Tim Loughton: A list of external meetings attended by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and the Department's other Ministers are published on the Department's website(1). A list of external meetings attended by the Permanent Secretary is also published on the website(2). We are unable to provide details of external meetings attended by other senior officials as this information can only be gathered at disproportionate cost.
	Regarding minutes and agendas from the meetings detailed in the above mentioned returns, it is not Government policy to publish these documents.
	Please note that the published lists of external meetings include details of official departmental meetings. They do not include, for example, details of speaking engagements or informal gatherings. We are unable to provide such details as this information can be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
	(1)http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/transparency/b0065263/ministers-quarterly-returns
	(2)http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/transparency/meetings/a0075403/the-permanent-secretarys-meetings-with-external-organisations

Ministers' Private Offices

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the Civil Service grade is of each member of staff in his private ministerial office.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 24 May 2012
	There are nine civil servants in the Secretary of State's Private Office. This is made up as follows:
	
		
			 Grade Number of staff 
			 Executive Assistant 2 
			 Executive Officer 2 
			 Higher Executive Officer/HEOD 2 
			 Grade 6 2 
			 Senior Civil Service 1 
			 Total 9

Operating Costs

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish a statement of his Department's expenditure in each of the last 36 months; and what steps his Department is taking to avoid an annual underspend.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education’s expenditure is published annually and available on the Treasury website as follows. The year from April 2011 to March 2012 is currently being audited by NAO and once the accounts have received an audit certificate and are signed they will be laid before Parliament and published.
	Full accounts for previous years are available on the Accounting Schedule at the link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/reports/a00390/anual0departmental-reports-accounts-and-spending-reviews
	Monthly figures are available via the following link:
	http://data.gov.uk
	Planning, funding and control
	The Department for Education currently has management accounting systems which enable it to monitor performance against budget and exercise effective control on a day to day basis. There is a system of planning including production of a corporate plan and an annual operating plan.
	There are systems to ensure that there is a continual evaluation of results against key targets. These include financial and non-financial targets; and cover both the quantity and quality of outputs, and the value for money that is being achieved. Targets are reset each year.
	Further documentation is available regarding financial management.
	Budgetary guidance
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_bc_consolidated_budgeting.htm

Operating Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent on the administration of his Department in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Tim Loughton: The administration expenditure for the Department for the last three years is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2009-10 Outturn 2010-11 Outturn 2011-12 Forecast 
			 Administration 185,465 172,484 — 
			 Restated — 383,716 363,645 
		
	
	The figures for 2010-11 and 2011-12 were revised to reflect the reclassification of the Department's arms length bodies.